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.
Ingredients
Units
- 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
Instructions
- 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.
- Pour in the white wine and cook 2 minutes, scraping up any browned bits, until the wine reduces by about half.
- 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.
- Add the crab legs and clams first, as they take the longest. Cover and cook 5 minutes.
- Add the mussels and fish pieces. Cover and cook 4 minutes.
- 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.
- 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