Cioppino - Fisherman's Seafood Stew
This delicious cioppino recipe brings the taste of the ocean to your dinner table. Perfect for any occasion, it's a wonderful dish for seafood fans.
Servings: 6
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
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.
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
Calories: 286kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 63mg | Sodium: 809mg | Potassium: 951mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 284IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 121mg | Iron: 3mg
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