Cioppino (San Francisco Seafood Stew)

The Italian-American fisherman's stew of San Francisco: clams, mussels, shrimp and firm white fish simmered in a garlicky tomato and white wine broth. Serve with sourdough. Serves 6.

Cioppino with clams, mussels, shrimp, fish and crab in tomato broth with sourdough bread
  • Prep 25 min
  • Cook 45 min
  • Total 1 hr 10 min
  • Yield 6 servings

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Cioppino was created by Italian immigrant fishermen in San Francisco, who made it from whatever was left of the day's catch. Shellfish and fish are simmered in a garlicky tomato and wine broth until the shells open.

Serve it in big bowls with plenty of sourdough bread for the broth, and set out an extra bowl for the shells.

Ingredients

Broth

  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 1 fennel bulb, chopped (optional)
  • 6 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 1/2 cups dry white wine
  • 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
  • 3 cups seafood or chicken broth
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • Salt and black pepper

Seafood

  • 1 pound littleneck clams, scrubbed
  • 1 pound mussels, scrubbed and debearded
  • 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 1 pound firm white fish, such as halibut or cod, cut into 2-inch pieces
  • 1 cooked Dungeness crab, cracked (optional)
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
  • Sourdough bread, for serving

Instructions

  1. Build the base. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat and cook the onion and fennel 8 minutes. Add the garlic and pepper flakes and cook 1 minute, then stir in the tomato paste.
  2. Simmer the broth. Add the wine and simmer 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes, broth, bay leaf and oregano and simmer 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
  3. Add the shellfish. Add the clams, cover and simmer 5 minutes. Add the mussels and crab, if using, cover and cook 3 minutes.
  4. Add the fish and shrimp. Nestle in the fish and shrimp, cover and simmer 4 to 5 minutes, until the fish flakes, the shrimp are opaque and all the shells have opened. Discard any that stay closed.
  5. Serve. Sprinkle with parsley and serve in large bowls with sourdough bread.

Tips

  • The broth can be made a day ahead; reheat and add the seafood just before serving.
  • Use any mix of firm fish and shellfish you like.

Questions about this recipe

Is cioppino Italian?
It is Italian-American, created by Italian fishermen in San Francisco in the late 1800s.
What bread goes with cioppino?
San Francisco sourdough is traditional.

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