Cioppino (San Francisco Seafood Stew)

Cioppino is San Francisco in a bowl. Italian fishermen on the wharf created this stew by throwing whatever they caught that day into a pot of tomato and wine broth. The result is one of the most satisfying seafood dishes in American cooking. Clams, mussels, shrimp, crab, and white fish all simmer together in a garlicky, fennel-scented broth that begs to be soaked up with bread. It looks impressive on the table, but the technique is simple once you understand the timing. The key to cioppino is building the broth first and adding the seafood in stages. Start with onion, fennel, garlic, and red pepper flakes sauteed in olive oil, then add white wine and let it reduce before pouring in San Marzano tomatoes and seafood stock.

Solid. Let that simmer for about 20 minutes to develop depth. Then add the seafood in order of cooking time: firm white fish first, then clams and mussels. Finally shrimp, which only need a few minutes. Sourdough bread is essential here. You need something sturdy to drag through that broth. Serve this with a crisp white wine and plenty of napkins. This is the version I stopped tinkering with.

Build the Tomato Broth

Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the diced onion and fennel and cook for 6 minutes until softened and beginning to caramelize. Add minced garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for 30 seconds. Pour in the white wine and cook for 2 minutes, scraping up any browned bits, until the wine reduces by about half. Add the crushed San Marzano tomatoes, seafood stock, bay leaf, dried oregano, kosher salt, and black pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes to build a rich, concentrated broth.

Add the Seafood in Stages

Add the cleaned and cracked crab legs and scrubbed clams first, as they take the longest. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Add the scrubbed and debearded mussels and white fish pieces. Cover and cook for 4 minutes. Add the shrimp on top, cover, and cook for 3 minutes until the shrimp are pink, the clams and mussels have opened, and the fish flakes easily. Discard any shellfish that did not open and the bay leaf.

Serve with Sourdough

Ladle the cioppino into deep bowls, making sure each serving has a variety of seafood. Shower with chopped fresh parsley and torn basil. Serve immediately with thick slices of sourdough bread.You need something to soak up the broth, and sourdough is the traditional and correct choice.

Cioppino (San Francisco Seafood Stew)

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• Author: Kalle Bergman
• Total Time: 50 minutes
• Yield: 6 servings

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Description

Cioppino was born on the San Francisco docks when Italian fishermen threw their daily catch into a communal pot with tomatoes and wine. The result is a brothy, garlicky, wine-soaked seafood stew that is more about abundance than precision. Clams, mussels, shrimp, crab, and firm white fish all swimming in a fennel-laced tomato broth — it is the kind of meal that demands a bib and a loaf of sourdough.

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Ingredients

Units USM

• 1/2 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1/2 lb firm white fish (halibut or cod), cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1 lb littleneck clams, scrubbed
• 1 lb mussels, scrubbed and debearded
• 1/2 lb Dungeness crab legs or 2 whole blue crabs, cleaned and cracked
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 1 bulb fennel, cored and diced
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 can (28 ounces) crushed San Marzano tomatoes
• 2 cups fish or seafood stock
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, torn

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Instructions

1. Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and fennel, cooking 6 minutes until softened and beginning to caramelize. Add garlic and red pepper flakes, cooking 30 seconds.
2. Pour in the white wine and cook 2 minutes, scraping up any browned bits, until the wine reduces by about half.
3. Add the crushed tomatoes, seafood stock, bay leaf, oregano, salt, and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook 20 minutes to build a rich, concentrated broth.
4. Add the crab legs and clams first, as they take the longest. Cover and cook 5 minutes.
5. Add the mussels and fish pieces. Cover and cook 4 minutes.
6. Add the shrimp on top, cover, and cook 3 minutes until the shrimp are pink, the clams and mussels have opened, and the fish flakes easily. Discard any shellfish that did not open and the bay leaf.
7. Ladle into deep bowls, making sure each serving has a variety of seafood. Shower with parsley and torn basil.

Notes

• Build the tomato broth first and let it simmer at least 20 minutes before adding any seafood — a thin, underdeveloped broth makes the whole dish fall flat.
• Add the seafood in stages based on cooking time. Clams and crab go first, delicate shrimp goes last.
• Sourdough bread is traditional and practically mandatory. You need something to soak up that broth.

• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Category: Main Course
• Cuisine: Italian-American

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 serving
• Calories: 320
• Sugar: 6
• Sodium: 780
• Fat: 10
• Carbohydrates: 16
• Fiber: 3
• Protein: 36
• Cholesterol: 145

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