Cioppino is our go-to when we want a hearty, comforting seafood dish. Served with crusty bread for dipping (or over pasta like my family likes!), it’s briny, rich, and loaded with whatever fresh seafood you love.
Cioppino
Cioppino comes from the Italian and Portuguese fishermen of San Francisco, who would toss the day’s catch—crab, shrimp, clams, mussels, and fish—into a pot with tomatoes, garlic, wine, and herbs. The result is a rich, hearty seafood stew or soup that’s packed with flavor. It’s perfect with crusty bread for dipping, but my family loves it spooned over pasta. For another variation, try my Portuguese Seafood Stew.
Why You’ll Love This Cioppino Recipe
Use whatever seafood looks best at the market. Cioppino is a flexible, feel-good dish that brings the taste of the coast right to your kitchen.
If you make this healthy cioppino recipe, I would love to see it. Tag me in your photos or videos on Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook. And be sure to join the Skinnytaste Community to see what everyone’s cooking!
What You’ll Need
Here are the ingredients for cioppino. You’ll need to buy fresh clams and mussels, but feel free to use frozen, thawed fish and shrimp. If you can’t find mussels or clams, I’ve provided substitutions under “Variations” below. See the recipe card below for the exact measurements.
- Aromatics: Fennel, onion, and garlic. If you’ve never cooked with fennel, it has a mild licorice taste that mellows as it cooks.
- Seasoning: Crushed red pepper, kosher salt
- Tomatoes: Crushed tomatoes (Tuttorosso are my favorite) form the broth, and tomato paste deepens the flavor.
- White Wine: Choose a dry white wine, like Pinot Grigio, that’s good enough to drink.
- Bay Leaves offer subtle herbal flavor and depth.
- Fish: A firm, meatier white fish, like halibut, sea bass, or monkfish, is the best fish for cioppino since it’ll old its shape better.
- Other Seafood: Littleneck clams, mussels, and jumbo or large shrimp
- Fresh Herbs: Fennel fronds, fresh thyme or parsley, for garnish
How to Make Cioppino
This easy cioppino recipe cooks in one pot and is ready in under an hour from start to finish. See the recipe card at the bottom for printable directions.
- Saute the aromatics (fennel, onion, garlic, red pepper, and salt) in a large pot until soft.
- Caramelize the Tomato Paste: Add the tomato paste and cook for a few minutes. It’s done when it transforms to a darker, brick-red color and no longer sticks to the pan.
- Simmer the Stew: Pour in the wine and simmer for a minute. Then, add the tomatoes, water, and bay leaves. Simmer and cover on low for 20 to 25 minutes until the flavors meld.
- Cook the Seafood: Add the clams and mussels, cover the pot, and cook for 5 minutes. Add the shrimp and fish and continue cooking until the clams and mussels open, the shrimp turn pink, and the fish is opaque.
- How to Serve: Discard the bay leaves and any unopened clams and mussels. Garnish with parsley or fennel fronds. Serve with plenty of napkins and an extra bowl for tossing the shells!
Variations
- If you can’t find fresh fennel, use fennel seeds.
- Seafood Options: If you’re allergic or can’t find one of the four, you can swap it out. Almost any seafood, like lobster, calamari, or scallops, would be delicious.
- Keep It Mild: Use black pepper instead of red.
- Skip the wine and use vegetable or chicken broth (or even more water). Seafood stock would also work if you have it.
Serving Suggestions
Here are some sides that would go well with cioppino for dinner:
- Carbs: Use some crusty bread to soak up all the broth. We love it with sourdough bread. It’s also good over pasta (my family’s favorite!) or rice.
- Vegetables: Add a side salad or roasted vegetable, like asparagus or green beans.
Storage
- Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Freeze it for up to 3 months.
- Reheat the stew on the stove or microwave until warm.
FAQs
Cioppino originated in San Francisco, CA, in the early 1900s. Italian fishermen created this rich, tomato-based stew by throwing in whatever leftover seafood they had from that day’s catch.
It’s pronounced like “che-pee-no.”
More Seafood Recipes You’ll Love
For more dinner ideas using seafood, check out my Seafood Recipes collection, plus these five delicious seafood recipes to inspire your next meal!
Yield: 6 servings
Serving Size: 1 ½ cups (2 shrimp, 2 clams, ~4 mussels, 2 pieces of fish)
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 small fennel bulb, chopped (about 1 cup)
- 1 medium onion, chopped (about 2 cups)
- 4 garlic cloves, smashed
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 ¼ teaspoons kosher salt
- 6 oz can tomato paste
- ¾ cup white wine
- 28 oz can crushed tomatoes, such as Tuttorosso
- 2 cups water, *
- 2 bay leaves
- 12 littleneck clams, scrubbed well
- ½ lb mussels, scrubbed well
- 1 dozen jumbo shrimp
- 2 6-ounce halibut fillets, or any white fish, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
- parsley, or fennel fronds, for garnish
- crusty bread, for soaking up the flavorful broth (optional)
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Heat oil in a large stockpot over medium heat; add fennel, onion, garlic, crushed red pepper flakes and salt. Cook until aromatic and soft, 6-8 minutes.
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Add tomato paste and cook until the paste begins to caramelize. You can tell this is happening by the color changing slightly darker (to a brick red) and no longer sticking to the pan, about 3 minutes.
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Add the white wine and bring to a simmer, 1 minute. Add tomatoes, 2 cups water and bay leaves. Simmer, covered on low for 20-25 minutes, until the flavors meld. Add more water as needed for your desired thickness.
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Add clams and mussels; cover and cook, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the shrimp and white fish; cover and cook until the clams and mussels open fully, the shrimp turn pink and the fish is opaque and cooked through, another 8 to 10 minutes, flipping halfway. Discard bay leaves and any unopened clams.
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Garnish with parsley or fennel fronds and serve.
Last Step:
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- Save some fennel fronds for garnish!
- A dry white wine, like pinot grigio, works best.
- Meatier whitefish, like halibut, sea bass or monkfish, work best as they will hold their shape. Most all seafood can be added to this and benefit the flavor; the addition of lobster, calamari and scallops make the most sense.
*Depending on how thick you want it.
Serving: 1 ½ cups (2 shrimp, 2 clams, ~4 mussels, 2 pieces of fish), Calories: 265 kcal, Carbohydrates: 27 g, Protein: 28 g, Fat: 5 g, Saturated Fat: 1 g, Cholesterol: 83 mg, Sodium: 1207 mg, Fiber: 6 g, Sugar: 13 g
