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Home » Recipes » Seafood Recipes

Cioppino Recipe

Published: Mar 28, 2021 · Modified: Nov 26, 2024 by Chef Dennis Littley

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You can’t visit San Francisco and not sample the cioppino recipe. It’s a classic stew dish created by the San Francisco Italian fishermen of North Beach in the late 1800s using the seafood that was left over from the day’s catch.

But if you can’t travel to San Francisco, my Cioppino Stew is the next best thing to being there!

Cioppino comes from the Ligurian dialect of Italy, coming from the word “ciuppin”. The literal translation means chopped and torn to pieces. But in the culinary world, it translates into delicious seafood stew….sigh

overhead shot of cioppino in a white bowl
Table of Contents:
  • Audio Player
  • What ingredients do I need to make Cioppino?
  • Do I have to use Dungeness Crab to make Cioppino?
  • How tomake Cioppino
  • More Seafood Recipes You’ll Love!
  • Recipe: Cioppino Recipe

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You’ll find versions of my Cioppino Recipe with less seafood and others with squid, but this dish’s main ingredients are shellfish. Anything else that finds its way into the pot is a bonus!

If you like seafood stews, you’re going to love my Spanish Seafood Stew!

What ingredients do I need to make Cioppino?

overhead view of Ingredients to make cioppino

Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make San Francisco Style Cioppino. In Chef Speak, this is called the “Mise en Place,” which translates to “Everything in its Place”.

Not only does setting your ingredients up ahead of time speed up the cooking process, but it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.

Over the years, I’ve worked and dined at restaurants with Cioppino on their menu, but it was rarely the real thing, being more of a Fugazi-style representation of the dish. The big difference between the Italian-style Cioppino recipe and a San Franciscan Style Cioppino recipe is how the sauce is made.

Made with simple ingredients

  • olive oil
  • fennel bulb 
  • sweet onion
  • shallots
  • garlic 
  • sea salt
  • tomato paste
  • whole plum tomatoes
  • dry white or red wine
  • chicken stock
  • small clams
  • mussels 
  • shrimp 
  • sea scallops
  • Dungeness crabs
  • fish
  • bay leaf
  • red pepper flakes 

Do I have to use Dungeness Crab to make Cioppino?

No, you don’t need to use Dungeness in your cioppino recipe but don’t be scared off by the Dungeness crab. You can actually find them at some of the big box stores, frozen, already cleaned, and ready to go.

Of course, you can use blue crab, king crab, or leave the crab out altogether.

How tomake Cioppino

two images one of raw vegetables in pot and cooked vegetables in pot

Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot or sauteuse (deep skillet) over medium heat. Add the fennel, onion, shallots, and salt. Saute the vegetables until the onion becomes translucent, about 5-7 minutes.

Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and continue to cook for 2 more minutes.

tomatoes, wine and stock added to the pot to make the cioppino sauce

Add the tomato paste, plum tomatoes, and all juices, wine, chicken stock, and bay leaf.

Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to simmer and allow to cook for one hour, stirring occasionally.

(you can use crushed tomatoes instead of whole tomatoes in juice and fish stock instead of chicken stock)

fish, shrimp and scallops in a pan cooking

While the sauce is simmering, using another saute pan, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sear the shrimp, scallops (and fish pieces if used) on both sides, but do not fully cook the seafood.

Remove the seafood from the pan and place it on a plate until needed.

*If you did use the fish pieces, you can add them to the sauce now. (do not add the shrimp or scallops at this time)

mussels and clams in a pan

In the same pan you used for the fresh seafood, add a little more olive oil, then add the clams and mussels. Cover and cook them until they open up.

*If any of the mussels or clams are open before cooking, discard them. They’re dead and aren’t safe for consumption.

seafood in the sauce finishing off the cioppino

At about the 45-minute mark of simmering the sauce, add in the crabs, and the mussels and clams with all the pan juices. Continue to simmer.

Five minutes before you’re ready to serve the Cioppino, add the shrimp and scallops to the sauce and let them finish cooking for five minutes.

overhead shot of cioppino in a white bowl next to slices of italian bread and a green napkin

Risotto, rice, or pasta are usually served with cioppino. You want a plain version of those accompaniments, so they complement the sauce and don’t fight with the flavors. This seafood stew also goes well with a tossed salad and of course, crusty bread to dip in the sauce.

If you’ve never thought of making Cioppino, I urge you to try this recipe. It may contain many ingredients, but it is a very simple dish that Italian Americans have enjoyed for years, and I promise you’ll have one delicious dinner on your table that will impress your family or friends.

More Seafood Recipes You’ll Love!

  • bowl of seafood stew next to garlic toast
    Spanish Seafood Stew Recipe
  • partial overhead view of seafood combo in white bowl
    Seafood Combo Foil Packet Recipe
  • partial view of seafood marinara in a white bowl
    Seafood Marinara with Pasta Recipe
  • seafood Sicilian on a white plate
    Sicilian Style Seafood with Pasta and Eggplant

overhead shot of cioppino in a white bowl

Cioppino Recipe

Cioppino is a  classic San Francisco seafood dish that will make you look like a superstar in the kitchen.  The rich red sauce is a perfect compliment to the seafood and although it takes a little while to cook, it’s a delicious restaurant-style dish that you can serve in your own home.
4.76 from 112 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Listen to the Post
Prep Time 15 minutes mins
Cook Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins
Total Time 1 hour hr 25 minutes mins
Course Entree
Cuisine Italian – American
Servings 3
Calories 744 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

  • 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 large fennel bulb thinly sliced (core removed)
  • 1 large sweet onion chopped
  • 3 large shallots chopped
  • 4 cloves large garlic sliced
  • 2 teaspoons sea salt
  • 4 ounces tomato paste
  • 26 ounce can of whole plum tomatoes crushed by hand
  • 2 cups dry white or red wine
  • 2 cups chicken stock
  • 1 dozen small clams scrubbed
  • 1 dozen mussels scrubbed
  • 9 16-20 count shrimp peeled and deveined
  • 9 large sea scallops
  • 3 crabs- dungeness preferred (snow crab, blue claw, or Stone Crab Claws)
  • ½ pound of firm fish cut into 3 pieces optional
  • 1 bay leaf
  • ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes more if you like it spicy

Instructions
 

  • Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a deep skillet or ductch oven over medium heat.
  • Add the fennel, onion, shallots, and salt. Saute until the onion becomes translucent about 5-7 minutes.
  • Add the garlic and crushed red pepper and continue to saute for 2 minutes.
  • Add the tomato paste, plum tomatoes and all juices, wine, chicken stock, and bay leaf.
  • Bring the sauce to a light boil, then reduce the heat to simmer and allow to cook for one hour, stirring occasionally
  • While the sauce is simmering using another saute pan, add 2 tablespoons olive oil and sear the shrimp, scallops (and fish pieces if used) on both sides, making sure not to fully cook them (about half way is fine)
  • Remove the seafood from the pan and place it on a plate until needed. If you did use the fish pieces you can add them to the sauce now.
    *do not add the shrimp or scallops at this time
  • In the same pan add a little more oil, the clams and mussels. Cover and steam them until they open.
    *If any of the mussels or clams are open before cooking discard them, they're dead and aren't safe for consumption.
  • At about the 45-minute mark of simmering the sauce, add in the crabs, mussels and clams with all the pan juices. Continue to simmer.
  • If you are serving your Choppino over pasta you may begin getting the water ready at this time.
  • With five minutes of cooking time remaining, add in the shrimp and scallops.
  • Taste the sauce and re-season as needed.
  • If you cooked pasta serve over pasta. If not, enjoy this delicious stew with a loaf of crusty bread.

Nutrition

Calories: 744kcalCarbohydrates: 44gProtein: 59gFat: 24gSaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 158mgSodium: 3213mgPotassium: 2589mgFiber: 7gSugar: 17gVitamin A: 1115IUVitamin C: 52.5mgCalcium: 257mgIron: 7.1mg
Tried this recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @askchefdennis or tag #askchefdennis!

Comments

    4.76 from 112 votes (63 ratings without comment)

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    Recipe Rating




  1. Lynndee says

    March 14, 2019 at 3:59 pm

    Dang, I am literally drooling! We are huge fans of seafood over here so I am definitely going to try this. I bet it is as delicious as it looks.

    Reply
  2. Tasheena says

    March 14, 2019 at 1:01 pm

    5 stars
    My family loves seafood. I can’t wait to make this recipe for them. I know that they’re going to love it.

    Reply
  3. Chubskulit Rose says

    March 14, 2019 at 9:47 am

    Oh my gosh, this is my kind of food! I grew up in a coastal area and I ate a lot of these back in the day. Now I miss it very much.

    Reply
  4. Ruth I says

    March 14, 2019 at 9:16 am

    5 stars
    I’ve been wanting to taste a seafood dish, this is perfect! I’ll ask my sister to cook this.

    Reply
  5. MELANIE EDJOURIAN says

    March 14, 2019 at 9:11 am

    I really do love seafood. Thi sounds like a wonderful recipe full of flavour with a good range of healthy ingredients.

    Reply
  6. Lisa Martin says

    March 13, 2019 at 11:56 pm

    Oh my goodness this looks so yummy! I am putting these ingredients on my list right now!!

    Reply
  7. Amber Myers says

    March 13, 2019 at 10:46 pm

    I am sure my kids would love this. They are big on their seafood. I wish I liked it!

    Reply
  8. Pam says

    March 13, 2019 at 9:44 pm

    I really like the sound of this. I have never had cioppino before but I love trying new and interesting recipes! I have just developed a taste for fennel so it was nice to see this recipe. I have been wondering what to do with fennel beyond the one roast chicken recipe I know that calls for it.

    Reply
  9. Kita Bryant says

    March 13, 2019 at 9:38 pm

    That is a lot of ingredients but the end results is whoa. I love different flavors and different foods so I gotta try this!

    Reply
  10. Melanie says

    March 13, 2019 at 9:33 pm

    I have never heard of this recipe before. It definitely looks tasty and like something that I would like to try out.

    Reply
  11. Alli Smith says

    March 13, 2019 at 9:28 pm

    5 stars
    I’m over here drooling! I’ve never attempted a dish like this but I’m going to try my hand at it. It looks amazing!

    Reply
  12. Candy says

    March 13, 2019 at 9:12 pm

    I will be a super star in the kitchen. Well we will see how this turns out for us

    Reply
  13. Olga Lucia says

    March 13, 2019 at 6:53 pm

    It’s amazing, I hope my recipe is the same as yours, my family has loved it.

    Reply
  14. Diane Layman says

    November 24, 2018 at 12:44 am

    How do I change the amount of servings to 28

    Reply
    • Chef Dennis Littley says

      November 24, 2018 at 7:58 am

      I would make it in double batches, this really isn’t something you can mass produce outside of a restaurant with industrial equipment. In any case you need to multiply the amounts by 10 to get 30 servings.

      Reply
  15. Tom Acquistapace says

    November 17, 2017 at 10:09 am

    4 stars
    I think most recipes do not cook (sear/saute) the seafood first and add into the simmering cioppino sauce base (tomatoes, wine, broth, vegetable base, etc.) at the correct timing point relative to the total expected cooking time thus that the “flavor melding-time” and the “doneness” of the seafood is simultaneously achieved. This, based upon size of seafood selected and time of addition to the pot. So there is some skill in getting this method cooked just right. I struggle with this every single year on Christmas day when I prepare this dish for my family. I think the results of the two approaches are different.
    Your approach more guarantees success due to par-cooking of seafood and is a traditional restaurant method for the dish. However, if seafood in broth cooks longer then the cioppino sauce will have more of a “seafood stock” flavor which is quite fragrant. Both approaches are valid and like any Cioppino, it is just about the best thing you will eat and a memorable dish. My wife’s Sicilian-American Grandfather fished the delta east of San Francisco bay for his whole life and made this dish often. I do not know his recipe and will have to continue to develop mine.

    Reply
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My name is Chef Dennis Littley, creator and owner of Ask Chef Dennis Productions. As a classically trained chef with 40+ years of experience in the kitchen, I share my time-tested recipes, knowledge, and chef tips to help you create easy-to-make restaurant-quality meals in your home kitchen.

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