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Cioppino Recipe

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This classic San Francisco-style cioppino is a flavorful tomato-based seafood stew featuring clams, mussels, shrimp, crab, and squid. Its deep, savory broth and bounty of seafood make it an impressive-yet-approachable main course. Serve with crusty sourdough to soak up the rich, briny sauce.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American, Italian-American
Calories: 485
Ingredients Equipment Method Nutrition Notes

Ingredients
  

For the Broth
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 yellow onion peeled and small diced
  • 4 cloves garlic finely minced
  • 3 celery stalks small diced
  • 1 green bell pepper seeded and small diced
  • 1 red bell pepper seeded and small diced
  • 2 cups fish stock
  • 56 ounces whole peeled tomatoes from two 28-ounce cans, crushed by hand
  • coarse salt and pepper to taste
For the Seafood and Garnish
  • 1 pound manilla clams
  • 1 pound mussels
  • 8 ounces large U-15 shrimp peeled, deveined, tail-on
  • 1 pound crab legs broken down
  • 8 ounces squid tubes sliced
  • chopped fresh parsley for garnish
  • crushed red pepper flakes for garnish
  • sliced sourdough bread for serving, optional

Equipment

  • Large pot
  • Second large pot
  • Ladle
  • Chef's knife
  • Cutting board

Method
 

  1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.
  2. Add the onion, garlic, celery, green bell pepper, and red bell pepper to the pot. Cook for 4 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables soften and begin to brown lightly.
  3. Pour in the fish stock and crushed tomatoes. Lower the heat and let the mixture simmer gently for 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  4. Meanwhile, bring a separate large pot of salted water to a boil to cook the seafood.
  5. Add the clams to the boiling water and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Then add the mussels and continue cooking for another 3 to 4 minutes, until their shells open.
  6. Transfer the cooked clams and mussels to the tomato stew and stir to combine.
  7. Next, add the shrimp and crab legs to the boiling water and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the sliced squid and cook for an additional 1 to 2 minutes, or until just cooked through.
  8. Transfer the shrimp, crab, and squid to the stew and mix well.
  9. Ladle the stew into bowls and garnish with fresh parsley and, if desired, crushed red pepper flakes. Serve with sliced sourdough bread.

Nutrition

Calories: 485kcal

Notes

Cioppino is highly adaptable—use any combination of shellfish, squid, and even firm white fish if you wish. If you can’t find crab, try snow or king crab legs or lump crab meat. Make the tomato broth base ahead of time and cook the seafood just before serving for the best texture. Store leftovers in the refrigerator up to 2 days and reheat gently to avoid overcooking the seafood. Serve with sourdough bread to soak up the flavorful broth.

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