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Cioppino, a rustic Italian-American seafood stew, is a dish that brings the flavors of the sea straight to your table. Originally crafted by Italian immigrant fishermen in San Francisco, this fisherman’s seafood stew combines the briny sweetness of fresh clams, mussels, shrimp, and white fish with a garlicky tomato and wine broth. It’s surprisingly easy to make and perfect for a cozy weeknight dinner or an elegant dinner party. Pair it with crusty sourdough bread to soak up every last drop of that flavorful broth, and you’ve got a meal that’s as comforting as it is impressive. One bite, and you’ll see why this iconic stew has stood the test of time.

This traditional cioppino recipe brings the taste of the ocean to your dinner table. Perfect for any occasion, it’s an incredibly delicious dish for seafood fans.
If you enjoy seafood, you might also like pistachio-crusted salmon, spicy tuna and rice bowls, dirty martini shrimp, and East Coast style lobster rolls.
Why You’ll Love It
A classic seafood dish: This rustic dish originates from Italian immigrant fishermen in San Francisco who would sell their wares – whatever delicious seafood they caught that day in the Pacific Ocean.
So delicious: The seafood flavors, fennel, herbs, wine, tomatoes, and seasonings offer a balanced and harmonious flavor. You’re definitely going to want a second bowl!
Not hard to make: After making the broth, you add the prepared seafood and fish, and then ladle the hot, delicious cioppino into bowls. You’re going to love how straightforward it is to make.
Seafood Stew Ingredients
A complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Seafood: Littleneck clams, shrimp, crab legs and mussels are cioppino staples.
Fish: Cod or halibut work well. They’re firm fish that won’t fall apart in the soup.
Aromatics: Garlic, fennel and onion add subtle aromatic flavors to the delicious broth.
Herbs: Oregano and bay leaf go into the cioppino recipe.
Dry white wine: Something like pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc would work well.
Tomatoes: You need to add canned tomatoes and some tomato paste.
How to Make Fisherman’s Stew
For more detailed instructions with weights and measurements, jump to the printable recipe card.
Start the broth: Heat olive oil in a large heavy pot. Add the onions and fennel and then add minced garlic, oregano, bay leaf, and crushed red pepper flakes to the pot, and cook a little more. Add the tomato paste and cook some more, stirring all the time.
Deglaze the pan: Pour in the wine and deglaze the pan.
Add more ingredients: Add the canned crushed tomatoes and seafood stock, then simmer the flavorful broth.
Add the fresh seafood: Discard the bay leaf and add the littleneck clams. Cover and cook until they start to open. Add the crab and mussels, and cover and cook until the mussels start to open. Add the fish and shrimp and cook until done.
Season and serve: Discard any shellfish that haven’t opened and season the cioppino with salt and pepper. Ladle the hearty stew into bowls, garnish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, along with parsley and fennel fronds, and serve immediately, paired with sourdough bread and lemon wedges if liked.
Substitutions and Variations
Shellfish: This classic Italian-American recipe hails from San Francisco, and the locally caught Dungeness crab is what makes this a signature dish along with the clams, mussels, fish, and fresh shrimp. You can leave out the crab if it’s hard to find or too expensive, but the other components are necessary to complete this dish.
More seafood flavor: Use 2 cups clam juice and 2 cups seafood broth to replace the 4 cups of seafood broth. This is very fishy and might be a bit too strong for some people.
Crab: I used thawed, pre-cooked Dungeness crab legs for this recipe, but if you are able to find fresh raw crab legs, that would be ideal. Just make sure you cook the legs all the way through. You’ll know they’re done when the shells are bright red/orange and when you crack a leg open and the meat is opaque white.
Other seafood: Add scallops and calamari if you like. Put them in at the same time as the fish and shrimp and cook until opaque. Lobster and red snapper are also great additions.
Serving Suggestions
Appetizers: Begin your meal with grilled scallop skewers or antipasto skewers.
Side dishes: Pair your cioppino recipe with focaccia, sourdough bread (toasted or grilled) or any kind of crusty bread. You can also serve a simple salad such as lemon and parmesan chopped salad or panzanella.
Dessert: Finish up with strawberry tiramisu.
How to Store Seafood Stew
Store: You can store the cooled soup in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
Freeze (broth only): Cooked seafood doesn’t freeze well. You can save the broth separately and freeze it for up to 1 month though.
Reheat the cioppino from chilled: To reheat, transfer the soup into a pot, then cover and simmer on low for 5 to 10 minutes. Just keep in mind that any seafood still in your soup will cook just a bit more and be slightly more tough. It will still taste fantastic though.
Reheat the broth only from thawed: Put it in the microwave and defrost slightly, but don’t heat it through. Put the semi-frozen broth into a pot and heat through on the stove, adding new seafood once it’s hot.
Top Tips
Make it ahead: You can make the cioppino base soup without any seafood 2 days prior to serving. Heat the base and add the seafood in the order specified in the instructions once ready to eat.
Dutch oven size: You will need a Dutch oven or large pot that’s at least 6 quarts in size. You can also make it in a 5-quart pot, but you might need to remove some of the soup base in order to fit the seafood in there, which works just as well.
Stovetop cooking only: Don’t try making cioppino in your pressure cooker or Instant Pot. Both appliances will completely overcook your seafood and everything will be too rubbery or chewy.
Seafood cracker: Make sure to have a seafood cracker handy as well as a large bowl to put the shells in after eating (I love this seafood tool set!)
San Francisco-Style Seafood Stew FAQs
Don’t add oysters, salmon, mackerel, tuna, or anchovies to this recipe, as the flavors will completely overpower the soup. Tilapia or any soft flaky fish would not work well either as it will disintegrate into the soup. You can use cod, halibut or any firm white fish.
Soak the clams and mussels in cool, lightly salted water for an hour if you have time. This helps the shellfish push out any excess sand they have inside and on their shells. Don’t forget to scrub the shellfish with a soft brush or wet sponge and cut off any beards on the mussels.
After cleaning, remove your shellfish from the water and place on a moist paper towel or cloth on a baking sheet. Don’t leave them in the water or they will suffocate.
Best Cioppino Recipe
Cioppino – Fisherman’s Seafood Stew
Equipment
- Pot Large or Dutch Oven with Lid
Ingredients
- ¼ Cup olive oil
- 1 onion, large, diced
- 1 Bulb fennel, diced with fronds removed and saved for garnish
- 6 Cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 bay leaf
- ¼ to ½ Teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 Cup dry white wine
- 1 Can whole tomatoes, San Marzano, 28 Ounce can, hand-crushed or crushed tomatoes
- 4 Cups seafood stock
- kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
- 12 littleneck clams, scrubbed
- 18 mussels, scrubbed and de-bearded
- ½ to 1 Pound Dungeness crab, legs, not shelled
- 1 Pound cod, or halibut, skinless and cut into ½-inch cubes
- 1 Pound shrimp, large, peeled and deveined, tail-on
Optional Garnishes:
- extra virgin olive oil
- fresh parsley, roughly chopped
- Fronds fennel
- sourdough toast
- Wedges lemon
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy pot over a medium high heat.
- Sauté the onions and fennel with a pinch of salt and pepper until softened, 8 to 10 minutes.
- Add the garlic, oregano, bay leaf, and red pepper flakes.
- Sauté for another minute.
- Add the tomato paste, coating the vegetables and herbs, and cook for about 2 minutes, until the paste has darkened slightly.
- Turn the heat up to high and deglaze the pan with the wine, scraping the bottom with a wooden spoon to get the stuck-on bits loose and cooking off the alcohol, 4 to 5 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes and seafood stock. Simmer uncovered over a low heat for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Discard the bay leaf, turn the heat to high and add the clams.
- Cover and cook until they just begin to open.
- Add the mussels, and crab. Cover with a lid and cook until the mussels have just started to open.
- Add the halibut and shrimp, stir, and cook for 3 minutes or until opaque.
- Discard any shellfish that haven’t opened up.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Ladle the soup into bowls, and garnish with olive oil, parsley, and fennel fronds.
- Serve with toasted or grilled sourdough and lemon wedges.
Notes
Dutch oven size: You will need a Dutch oven or large pot that’s at least 6 quarts in size. You can also make it in a 5-quart pot, but you might need to remove some of the soup base in order to fit the seafood in there, which works just as well.
Stovetop cooking only: Don’t try making cioppino in your pressure cooker or Instant Pot. Both appliances will completely overcook your seafood and everything will be too rubbery or chewy.
Seafood cracker: Make sure to have a seafood cracker handy as well as a large bowl to put the shells in after eating.
Nutrition
This seafood stew recipe is so delicious. Known as cioppino, this Italian-American classic is always good, especially when paired with crusty bread. The garlic, tomato and wine broth pairs beautifully with the seafood flavors. Enjoy seafood cioppino as a special treat or whip some up if you have dinner guests coming over. Everyone will be really impressed at the amazing flavors this seafood and fish stew offers.
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Bella Bucchiotti
Bella Bucchiotti is a Canadian-based syndicated food, travel, and lifestyle writer, photographer, and creator at xoxoBella. She founded xoxoBella in 2015, where she shares her love for food, dogs, sustainability, fitness, crafts, outdoor adventures, travel, and philanthropy to encourage others to run the extra mile, try new recipes, visit unfamiliar places, and stand for a cause. Bella creates stress-free and family-friendly recipes for weeknight dinners and festive feasts.