This delicious Cioppino recipe is an Italian-American seafood stew inspired from San Francisco. It is hearty, flavorful, and so versatile. Enjoy it with crusty bread for dipping!
Make Seafood Stock*: Use kitchen shears to cut open the crab legs and remove the meat, and place the cracked shells into a stock pot. Remove shells and tails from shrimp and add to the stockpot. Add enough water to the pot to cover the shells by about an inch. Add a pinch of salt. Cook over medium high heat until water reaches a bare simmer. Add clams and mussles on top (don’t stir) and cover pot. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until shells open up. Uncover, remove from heat and set aside.
Sauté Veggies: Add oil to a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Stir in onion, fennel and 2 teaspoons kosher salt. Cook until onion is soft and translucent, 8-10 minutes. Stir in garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for 1 minute.
Add Remaining Soup Ingredients: Add tomato paste and stir well. Add wine and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in crushed tomatoes, bay leaf, and oregano.
Add Seafood Stock: Strain seafood stock through a fine mesh strainer with a cheesecloth over it (if you don’t have a cheesecloth, that’s fine! Just don’t add the bottom tablespoons of liquid, that may have sand in it) into measuring cup. Add 4 cups seafood stock to the pot. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat, cover pot, and simmer for 30 minutes. (Set clams and mussels aside to add later.)
Prepare Fish: cut the fish into 1 inch pieces and drizzle the fish and shrimp with a little oil, and season with salt and pepper.
Add Seafood: Just before you’re ready to serve the stew, bring the soup to a boil, stirring. Add the fish, cover, reduce heat and simmer for 3 minutes. Taste the sauce and add more seasoning, if needed. Stir in shrimp and crab and simmer about 2-3 minutes, just until shrimp are pink. Stir in steamed clams and mussels. Sprinkle with fresh parsley.
Serve: with lemon wedges, crusty bread, extra bowls for placing shells in, and lots of napkins!
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Notes
Make Ahead Instructions: The stock can be made 1-2 days ahead of time and kept in an airtight container in the fridge until you're ready to make the seafood Cioppino.Freezing Instructions: I recommend only freezing the stew broth without seafood, so you don't overcook the seafood when reheating. The seafood stock can be frozen in a freezer safe container or bag for up to 2 months. Strain it before freezing.Seafood variations: You could replace the crab with scallops (add them at the same time as the fish). Calamari would also be a great addition, and can be added near the end. I don’t recommend using oysters or salmon as their flavor may overpower the dish.Crab: You can add the crab, in its shell, to the broth, if you want to serve it in the shell, but I think the shells help add rich flavor to the seafood stock.Wine: don’t use “cooking wine”, but instead choose an inexpensive dry white wine, like chardonnay, sauvignon blanc or pinot grigio. I don’t drink alcohol, but I do use wine in cooking because it adds a depth of flavor you can’t get otherwise (and don’t worry, most of the alcohol cooks out). If you’re against cooking with wine, you can omit it, or add a little splash of white wine vinegar.Seafood Stock: You could substitute 4 cups store-bought seafood stock, and add the clams and mussels at the same time as the shrimp and crab.