When I want a quick, delicious dinner to impress friends, Cioppino is my go-to recipe. It can be ready in an hour, but I’m a fan of letting the stew simmer for at least an hour to let all the rich flavors meld before adding the seafood.
Cioppino was created in San Francisco in the 1800’s by Italian immigrant fishermen. At the end of a long day of pulling in nets, traps and lines, the fishermen would gather and toss the leftovers from their catch that wasn’t sold into a big pot, add tomatoes and herbs, and share a meal. Kind of like a dock party!
There’s no set-in-stone recipe; it’s meant to be adapted to whatever seafood is in season or your own personal taste. What is essential is that the seafood is fresh (although frozen shrimp will also work without compromising the taste). If your guests don’t mind getting a bit messy, the addition of crab legs adds great flavor.
Serve with a fresh garden salad and big hunks of sourdough bread to sop up every flavorful drop. Yields enough for 6 hearty appetites.
Ingredients
Stew base
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
2/3 cup finely chopped shallots
4 cloves minced garlic (or more or less to taste)
1 minced small jalapeno (optional if you like a little kick)
1 cup white wine (plus 1 to drink while cooking)
28 oz crushed tomatoes
1 heaping tablespoon tomato paste
16 oz clam juice or fish stock
1 cup warm water
1 teaspoon salt (more to taste)
2/3 cup chopped fresh thyme (about 8 springs)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons white sugar (more to taste)
Large lime, cut into wedges (optional)
½ cup roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley
Seafood
I generally want about 1 lb of seafood per person, so go up or down in weight depending on what varieties appeal to you and are fresh.
1 lb firm fish filets cut into 2 inch pieces (cod, halibut, haddock, tilapia, snapper, salmon)
1 lb clams
1 lb mussels
1 lb large raw shrimp (peeled and deveined)
1 lb scallops
Other options
Fresh steamed crab legs or claws, cooked calamari, crawfish
Directions
This stew needs to be served immediately after the seafood is cooked. You can make the base the day before and refrigerate, or a few hours before your guests arrive, letting it simmer until 15 minutes before sitting down to eat.
In a large, heavy bottom pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil and butter over medium heat until melted and shimmering.
Add the shallots and cook until translucent, about 4 minutes.
Add the garlic and jalapeno (if using) and cook for one minute, stirring continually. Don’t brown; it will make the garlic bitter.
Add the white wine and turn the heat to high. Bring to a boil and allow the wine to reduce by bout half, stirring frequently for about 3 minutes.
Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, clam juice or fish stock, warm water, and salt.
Bring to a boil; reduce heat to simmer and stir in the thyme, oregano and red pepper flakes.
Cover and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.
Stir in the sugar and simmer another 10 minutes.
Taste. If it a bit to acidic, add an additional teaspoon of sugar. If you don’t taste any salt, add a ½ teaspoon. Don’t oversalt as the seafood will bring a bit of saltiness to the stew.
If you aren’t ready to serve, leave on simmer, uncovered for up to an hour. If longer, turn off and cover and bring back to a boil 15 minutes before serving.
When you are ready to add the seafood, bring to a boil and reduce to medium heat.
Add the clams and mussels and stir to cover with the stew.
Cover and cook without opening for 5 minutes.
Check to make sure the shells have mostly opened; if not, cook another few minutes and check again.
Gently stir in the shrimp, turn the heat down to simmer and cover until the shrimp are no longer translucent, about 3 minutes.
Gently stir in the scallops, then place the fish pieces on top and ladle up some of the broth and pour over the top. Cover and cook for 2 minutes. The fish should be translucent and firm.
Ladle the stew into bowls, removing any unopened clams or mussels. Squeeze the lime lightly over the top and liberally sprinkle with parsley. Serve immediately!
For leftovers, remove the clams and mussels from the shells and store in the refrigerator for up to two days. Reheat gently over medium heat, stirring gently.
Seafood notes:
Fish – Choose a fish that is firm and won’t easily flake when cooked, and isn’t oily or filled with small bones.
Clams – I opt for the small, white cherrystone or littleneck variety. Make sure they have been thoroughly rinsed and are all tightly closed.
Mussels – I like the medium size, about 2 inches long. These take a bit of work as you need to remove the “beard” by squeezing the shell and gently tugging the little hairs that may or may not be present. Ensure they are rinsed and tightly closed. They should smell like the ocean; if they have a funky smell, don’t buy or use.
Shrimp – Size is up to you. Large or medium work, but not the tiny salad shrimp. Fresh is always best, but in a pinch frozen shrimp don’t lose flavor and can be bought shelled and deveined, which is a nice convenience.
Scallops – You definitely don’t need the large, expensive sea scallops. I like the medium sized bay scallops, rather than the teeny ones. The smaller they are, the shorter cook time is needed or they will become rubbery.
Crab legs or claws, calamari and crawfish – Optional and all added at the very end with the fish pieces.
