Cioppino

Learn how to make this delicious seafood stew from San Francisco!

Joe's Seafood Cioppino

Prep time: about 10 minutes

Cooking time: about 60 minutes

Yields: 6 servings

Gluten/Soy/Nuts/Dairy free and Pesco-vegetarian

Delicious, indulgent, satisfying, and comforting. Those are the best adjectives I can use to describe this amazing seafood stew from San Francisco, California.

Made with a variety of fresh seafood (mussels, shrimp, scallops, crabs, clams, squid, white meat fish, etc), aromatics, herbs, and wine (white or red)... Cioppino has become a new favorite of mine.

With a wonderful layer of flavors and a hint of heat, this is a must-have recipe to add to your repertoire!

The best thing about Cioppino is that it is easy to make and you can change the ingredients to fit your likes and needs. And to those living a vegetarian or pesco-vegetarian lifestyle: this is a great meal!

If you can get fresh seafood in your area: no problem! you can also use an assortment of frozen or canned products to make this!

What is Cioppino?

Cioppino is a fish stew originating in San Francisco, California. It is an Italian-American dish and is related to various regional fish soups and stews of Italian cuisine.

Cioppino is traditionally made from the catch of the day, which in San Francisco is typically a combination of Dungeness crab, clams, shrimp, scallops, squid, mussels and fish, all sourced from the ocean, in this case the Pacific. The seafood is then combined with fresh tomatoes in a wine sauce.

The dish can be served with toasted bread, either local sourdough or French bread. The bread acts as a starch, similar to a pasta, and is dipped into the sauce.

What is the flavor profile?

It's a combination of briny, sweet, sharp, and spicy.

What ingredients will I need to make this?

Assorted seafood (crab, white meat fish, clams, shrimp, mussels, scallops, squid), crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, wine (white or red), fennel, shallots or leeks, sweet onions, garlic, bay leaves, broth (seafood stock or clam juice), olive oil, salt, lemons, crushed pepper flakes, and fresh parsley for garnishing.

What else will I need to make this?

A cutting board, a sharp knife, measuring cups, a wooden spoon, and a large pot with a lid.

Can I make substitutions?

Yes.

• If fresh seafood os not available in you area just check the frozen section at your local grocers. There you will find frozen shrimp, crab, mussels, clams, white meat fish, and squid. Make sure you allow the seafood to thaw before using.

• You can use canned little clams found in the canned meat section.

• You can use either white or red wine for this recipe. Your call.

• You can use leeks or shallots. I've tried it both ways and the end results have been both delicious.

• You can use either seafood stock, clam juice, chicken broth, or vegetable broth.

• If dungeon crab is not available in your area, just use any type you like. Do not use imitation crab.

• You can use any white meat fish you like (cod, flounder, swai, halibut)

Can I make additions?

Yes! You can add any kind of seafood you like. That's the beauty of Cioppino: ingredients varied according to what the catch of the day was.

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Some Useful Information

About Cioppino

Cioppino was developed in the late 1800s by Italian immigrants who fished off Meiggs Wharf and lived in the North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco, many from the port city of Genoa. When a fisherman came back empty handed, they would walk around with a pot to the other fishermen asking them to chip in whatever they could. What ever ended up in the pot became their Cioppino. The fishermen that chipped in expected the same treatment if they came back empty handed in the future. It later became a staple as Italian restaurants proliferated in San Francisco.

The name comes from ciuppin (also spelled ciupin) which is the name of a classic soup from the Italian region Liguria, similar in flavor to cioppino but with less tomato and using Mediterranean seafood cooked to the point that it falls apart.

The dish also shares its origin with other regional Italian variations of seafood stew similar to cioppin, including cacciucco from Tuscany, brodetto di pesce from Abruzzo and others. Similar dishes can be found in coastal regions throughout the Mediterranean, from Portugal to Greece. Examples of these include suquet de peix from Catalan-speaking regions and bouillabaisse from Provence.

The earliest printed description of cioppino is from a 1901 recipe in The San Francisco Call, though the stew is called "chespini.” "Cioppino" first appears in 1906 in The Refugee's Cookbook, a fundraising effort to benefit San Franciscans displaced by the 1906 earthquake and fire.

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INGREDIENTS

• 5 cups of seafood stock or clam juice

• 28 oz of crush tomatoes

• 1.5 cups of dry white or red wine

• 6 oz of tomato paste

• 1 large fennel bulb, finely chopped

• 1 large sweet onion, finely chopped

• 3 shallots or 1 large leek, finely shopped

• 5 cloves of garlic, minced

• 2 bay leaves

• 1 pound of fresh or frozen mussels

• 1 pound of fresh or frozen shrimp, peeled and deveined

• 1 pound of fresh or frozen white meat fish filets (cod, flounder, swai, halibut), cut into small pieces

• 1/2 pound of fresh or frozen squid

• 1 pound of dungeon crab, king crab, or snow crab

• 1/2 pound of fresh or frozen small scallops

• 10 oz of canned whole baby clams (drained) or 1/2 pound of fresh clams

• Sea Salt

• Black pepper

• Crushed pepper flakes

• 3 tablespoon os Olive oil

• fresh parsley, chopped

• 3 lemons, quartered

Method

1. In a large pot over medium over medium heat add oil. Once heated add the fennel, shallots or leeks, onions, and a pinch of salt. Cook until the onions become translucent (about 8 minutes). Add the garlic and a pinch of crushed pepper flakes. Cook until the garlic becomes fragrant.

2. Add the tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, bay leaves, seafood stock or clam juice, and wine. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and let it simmer for 30 to 40 minutes.

3. Add the clams and mussels. Cook for about 5 minutes or until the mussels and clams open. Discard any mussels or clams that do not open. Add the shrimp and fish. Cook for another 5 minutes and add the rest of the seafood and stir gently. Cook for another 3 to 5 minutes. Taste for seasonings and adjust.

4. Serve with lemon quarters and garnish with fresh chopped parsley.

Enjoy!!!

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Printable Recipe (PDF) below:

Cioppino.pdf

Download PDF • 10.47MB

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