Cioppino
Ingredients
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- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 cup onion – finely chopped (~1 medium onion)
- 1 cup fennel bulb – finely chopped (~0.5 medium fennel bulbs)
- 1/2 cup celery – finely chopped
- 6 cloves garlic – minced
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 28 ounces canned whole peeled tomatoes – crushed by hand with juices
- 32 ounces bottled clam juice
- 2 leaves bay leaves
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 2 tsp kosher salt – plus more to taste
- 1/2 tsp black pepper – freshly ground
- 1 pounds littleneck clams – scrubbed (~60.5 small littleneck clams)
- 1 pounds mussels – scrubbed and debearded (~63 medium mussels)
- 1 pounds white fish fillets – cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1 pounds large shrimp – peeled and deveined (~50.5 medium shrimps)
- 1 1/2 pounds Dungeness crab sections – cooked, cleaned, and cracked (~3 medium dungeness crabs)
- 1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley – chopped (~0.5 n/a parsleys)
- sourdough bread – toasted (for serving)
Instructions
1. Scrub the clams and mussels under cold running water; debeard the mussels. Pat the fish dry and cut into 2-inch pieces. Peel and devein the shrimp. If needed, crack and clean the crab sections. Finely chop the onion, fennel, and celery; mince the garlic; crush the canned tomatoes by hand; chop the parsley.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onion, fennel, and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly translucent, 8–10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
3. Stir in the red pepper flakes and tomato paste and cook, stirring, until the paste darkens slightly and smells sweet, 2–3 minutes.
4. Pour in the white wine, scraping up any browned bits, and simmer until reduced by about half, 3–4 minutes.
5. Add the crushed tomatoes with their juices, clam juice, bay leaves, salt, and black pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook 15 minutes to meld flavors; taste and adjust seasoning.
6. Add the clams, cover, and simmer until they begin to open, 5–7 minutes. Add the mussels, cover, and cook until most shells open, 3–4 minutes. Discard any clams or mussels that do not open.
7. Nestle in the fish and shrimp. Maintain a gentle simmer and cook until the fish is opaque and flakes easily and the shrimp are pink and just cooked through, 3–5 minutes. Add the crab sections and simmer until heated through, 2–3 minutes. Remove and discard the bay leaves.
8. Stir in the parsley. Ladle the cioppino into warm bowls and serve hot with toasted sourdough bread.
Cioppino is a hearty, tomato-and-wine seafood stew born on the docks of San Francisco. The broth is aromatic with onion, fennel, garlic, and a touch of heat, providing a bright, briny base for a generous mix of shellfish and firm white fish. Each bite offers contrast—sweet crab and shrimp, tender fish, and the satisfying pop of just-opened clams and mussels—perfect for soaking up with crusty sourdough bread.
Created by Italian immigrant fishermen, especially from Liguria, cioppino evolved from the day’s catch cooked simply on boats and in boardinghouses. Over time it became a signature dish of the city, closely associated with Dungeness crab season and the flavors of the Pacific coast. While it shares a kinship with Italian fish stews like ciuppin and cacciucco, cioppino is distinctly American, reflecting San Francisco’s seafood and its immigrant culinary heritage.