If you like seafood, you will love this dish. Cioppino is an Italian seafood stew. The seasoning is simple and the choices for the seafood are many.
San Franciso Style Cioppino
Let me begin by saying that this is an excellent cioppino seafood stew that is incredibly easy to make in under one hour. The recipe below is an adaptation of a recipe by Giada De Laurentiis on the Food Network. I modified the spices and seafood selection for my personal preference, but the complex underlying flavors of the rich broth are all Giada’s. Thanks Giada, this dish was a huge hit in my house.
Build the Cioppino Base
Begin by heating the oil in a Dutch oven medium heat. Add the sliced fennel, onion shallots and salt. Sauté until the onion and fennel softens, about 10 minutes.
Then add the garlic and red pepper flakes and sauté for an additional two minutes. Finally, add the tomato paste, stir well, then add the canned tomatoes (and juice), wine, seafood stock and bay leaf. Stir it well, cover it and simmer for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to blend.
Add the Seafood
The great thing about cioppino is that you can use pretty much any seafood that you like. I prefer to have a selection that includes at least one type of firm fish, some shellfish like littleneck clams, and shrimp. Buy what looks fresh.
After 30 minutes, add whatever hard shell seafood you are using. In this recipe that was clams and crab claws. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Next, add the soft seafood, like shrimp and fish, and simmer until the shrimp and fish are just cooked through, about five minutes. Be very careful stirring after the fish is added. The fish in delicate and will break apart.
Be sure to remove and discard any shellfish (e.g. clams) that did not open. Adjust seasonings as needed and serve. Like I said, this is incredibly easy to make. Enjoy!
Other Great Seafood Dishes
Watch How to Make San Francisco Style Cioppino on YouTube
San Franciso Style Cioppino
Ingredients
- 3 tbs olive oil
- 1 fennel bulb thinly sliced
- 1 yellow onion medium, chopped
- 3 shallots large, diced
- 2 tsp kosher salt plus more to taste
- 5 cloves garlic diced
- 3/4 tsp red pepper flakes crushed
- 1/3 cup tomato paste
- 28 oz tomatoes diced in juice
- 12 oz white wine dry
- 5 cup seafood stock
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 lb Manilla clams scrubbed
- 1 lb shrimp peeled and deveined
- 1 lb Red snapper cut into 1" pieces
- 4 crab claws
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the sliced fennel, onion shallots and salt. Sauté until the onion softens, about 10 minutes.
- Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and sauté for an additional 2 minutes. Add the tomato paste and stir well.
- Add the canned tomatoes (and juice), wine, seafood stock and bay leaf. Stir to combine. Cover and simmer for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to blend.
- Add the clams and crab claws, cover and cook for 5 minutes. Add the shrimp and fish then simmer until the shrimp and fish are just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Be careful stirring after the fish is added. The fish in delicate and will break apart.
- Remove and discard any clams that did not open. Adjust seasonings as needed and serve.