Cioppino
Cioppino Say it: choh-PEE-noh
Cioppino is San Francisco’s Italian-American seafood stew, built on a tomato-and-white-wine broth and loaded with Dungeness crab, clams, mussels, shrimp, scallops and firm white fish. It is a communal one-pot meal, often eaten with sourdough bread to soak up the broth. The flavor is briny, garlicky and gently spicy, with a rich tomato base that lets the shellfish shine. It feels celebratory but comes together in a single pot.
Cioppino
Cioppino
Pronounced choh-PEE-noh
- Serves
- 4
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 40 min
- Total
- 1 hr 5 min
- Level
- Medium
Also nut-free and egg-free.
Allergens: contains fish, shellfish. Check labels on packaged ingredients.
Ingredients
Amounts are scaled. Cooking times and pan sizes stay the same.
Broth
Seafood
To finish
Method
Scrub the mussels and clams under cold water, debeard the mussels, and discard any that are cracked or will not close when tapped. Pat the fish, shrimp and scallops dry; refrigerate all seafood until needed.
Warm the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and fennel and cook, stirring occasionally, for 6–8 minutes, until soft and translucent.
Stir in the garlic, red pepper flakes, oregano, bay leaf, 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp black pepper; cook for 1 minute, until fragrant.
Pour in the wine and simmer for 3–4 minutes, until reduced by about half and the sharp alcohol smell has faded.
Add the crushed tomatoes and fish stock. Bring to a gentle simmer, partially cover, and cook for 15 minutes, until the broth thickens slightly and the flavors meld. Taste and add salt if needed.
Raise the heat to medium-high. Nestle the clams and mussels into the broth, cover, and cook for 5–7 minutes, until the shells begin to open.
Add the fish, shrimp, scallops and crab. Lower the heat to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook for 4–6 minutes, until the fish flakes easily, the shrimp curl and turn opaque, and the scallops are firm; discard any clams or mussels that remain closed.
Remove the bay leaf. Stir in the parsley, taste for salt and pepper, and ladle into warm bowls, making sure each serving gets a mix of shellfish and fish.
Regional variant: Ligurian Fish Stew (Ciuppin)
Ligurian ciuppin uses 2 lb (900 g) mixed small fish and only a handful of shellfish, if any. Simmer the fish with the same tomato, wine, garlic and herb base until it flakes, then pass half the soup through a food mill and return it to the pot for a thicker, more uniform broth.
Cook's notes
- Scrub clams and mussels well; discard any that are open before cooking or stay closed after.
- Use a good fish stock or clam juice—the broth is only as good as its base.
- Keep the seafood at a bare simmer once added; boiling toughens shrimp and scallops.
Serve with
Crusty sourdough bread, lemon wedges, and a crisp white wine or light lager.
Make ahead and storage
The tomato broth can be made up to 2 days ahead and refrigerated; add the seafood just before serving. Leftovers keep for 1 day in the refrigerator and should be reheated gently.
