Easy Cioppino (Seafood Stew)
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The BEST ever seafood stew, loaded with clams, mussels, cod, shrimp and scallops. So cozy, so hearty, so easy.
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Cioppino tends to be one of those underrated stews that’s actually really easy to make, making it on your dinner table in less than an hour. And it’s filled with all the seafood goodness – little neck clams, mussels, cod (or halibut), shrimp and scallops which gets cooked right in that garlicky, tomato-wine-based broth.
All you need to round out this meal is some freshly toasted baguette (or sourdough or french bread) slices to sop up this goodness, leaving zero leftovers behind. This recipe can also be easily doubled or tripled (if you have a large enough pot, of course), making it perfect for when company stops by for dinner.
what is the difference between cioppino and bouillabaisse?
Cioppino and bouillabaisse are both seafood stews, but cioppino is purely a tomato-based broth while bouillabaisse is made with fish broth, saffron and tomatoes.
tips and tricks for success
- Choose a wine you will drink. A dry white wine (pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc) is great here – it does not have to be anything fancy or overpriced. Just something you don’t mind sipping on since you will have an open bottle.
- Use a blend of seafood and shellfish. A mixture of clams, mussels, white fish, shrimp, scallops, squid and dungeness crab are all great options.
- Soak the clams. We want to get rid of all the sand and grit from your clams.
- Check over the mussels. Rinse and scrub the mussels, and debeard as needed. Although farm-raised mussels will already come debearded, it’s still a good idea to do a once-over, discarding any mussels that are open or have cracked shells.
- Avoid storing the mussels in water prior to cooking. Uncooked mussels should not be stored in water or in an airtight container as they need to breathe. The uncooked mussels can be placed in a bowl, covered with a damp dishtowel, in the fridge for 1-2 days.
- Prep the scallops. Although safe to eat, gently peel away the small side muscle from the scallops as it is tougher and chewier than the rest of the scallops. Rinse and pat dry.
- Use dry scallops. Dry scallops are generally preferred over wet scallops as the latter is treated with preservatives, retaining excess water.
- Be mindful of different cooking times. The key to a great cioppino is serving right when the seafood is perfectly cooked through. Clams and mussels can go in first, cooking until they start to open, adding the fish, shrimp and scallops last.
- Make ahead of time. Cioppino is a great dish to make ahead of time, cooking the broth just before adding the seafood and storing in the fridge.
- Serve with crusty bread. Serve with all the homemade crusty bread for dipping, sopping and dunking!
Tools For This Recipe
Dutch oven
Easy Cioppino (Seafood Stew): Frequently Asked Questions
Additional vegetable stock can be used for white wine as a non-alcoholic substitute.
You’ll want to rinse and scrub the clams from debris under cold running water. This will also give you a chance to check (and discard) clams that are cracked, feel hollow, or gaping open. All clams should be tightly closed.
You’ll want to rinse and scrub the mussels from debris under cold running water. This will also give you a chance to check (and discard) mussels that are cracked, feel hollow, or gaping open. All mussels should be tightly closed.
The mussels should already be debarded but if they are not, you can do so by removing the short brown strings that sprouts from the shell with your fingers or tweezers, pulling firmly until detached completely and discarding.
You can thaw frozen shrimp and scallops overnight, transferring it from the freezer to the fridge the day before. For a quick thaw, you can run the shrimp under cold water until completely thawed, about 5-10 minutes, and run the scallops under lukewarm water until completely thawed. Pat them dry as thoroughly as possible to remove any excess moisture.
Yes! The cioppino broth can be made 1-2 days in advance and stored in the fridge. To reheat, bring to a simmer before adding the seafood as directed.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 1-2 days, removing the clams and mussels from the shells prior to storing.
Easy Cioppino (Seafood Stew)
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 medium sweet onion, diced
- 1 small fennel bulb, cored and diced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- ¾ cup dry white wine
- 1 (28-ounce) can petite diced tomatoes
- 2 cups vegetable stock
- 2 cups clam juice
- 1 bay leaf
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 12 little neck clams, scrubbed
- ½ pound mussels, scrubbed and debearded
- 1 pound cod or halibut filets, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
- ½ pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 8 large sea scallops
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
Equipment
Instructions
- Melt butter in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add onion and fennel. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 8 minutes.
- Stir in tomato paste, garlic, oregano and red pepper flakes until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Stir in wine, diced tomatoes, vegetable stock, clam juice and bay leaf. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until flavors have blended, about 15 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Stir in clams and mussels. Reduce heat to low; cover, with a tight-fitting lid, and cook until the clams and mussels are just beginning to open, about 3-4 minutes.
- Stir in cod or halibut, shrimp and scallops. Reduce heat and simmer until cod or halibut, shrimp and scallops are just cooked through and clams and mussels have opened completely, about 3-4 minutes. Discard any unopened clams.
- Stir in parsley; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Serve immediately.
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This is one of the best stews that I have ever eaten.
Made a few adjustments for my preference. Cut the butter in half on a diet. Omitted the clam juice and cod. Have no other use for the juice and I hate cod. So I doubled the stock and used unsalted chicken and added 1 cup of wine, you can use whatever seafood you like really. Because of the adjustments I added more seasonings than advised, except the salt and added thyme. Delicious.
This was outstanding. Made as written; however, I served with tiny shot glasses of cream sherry for those who wanted it. (What wasn’t used became my “washing up aperitif.)
I adjusted it only because missing ingredients I used celery also bar harbor seafood stock no vegetable broth
How do you core a fennel bulb?
I have tried a few bouillabaise recipes with failure. This looked easier and more tasty and I was right! You can change the ingredients but the base of the recipe is fantastic! Perfect on a cold winter night!
I had this dish once, while working in Reno. At a restaurant named Captain Blacks. Have never seen it on a menu anywhere else that I have ever traveled. Thank you for this recipe. I can make it for myself now!
We loved the flavor!!!
Do you think you could prep the whole broth ..the day before ? Then add the seafood the next day
When your company arrives??
I know it is too late for you, but for future reference for other people I had this at a restaurant, had to take a lot home and it was way better the next day.
Can’t wait to try this at home!
My first time making cippiono ever! Soup base was delicious, my teen daughter didn’t know she was eating fennel (she probably thought it was celery) and said the soup was delicious even though she doesn’t care for shellfish. I used Dungeness crab, shrimp, scallops, and fish. Didn’t have bay leaf, googled a substitute, I had fresh thyme, threw in a few sprigs-worked out great!
I didn’t make it, plan to. I grew up in the South Bay Area of San Francisco and Mom would make cioppino for special occasions.
I cannot believe that the recipe has no Dungeness crab! Fisherman’s Wharf is full of crab fresh off the boat! Huge crab pots!
Not San Francisco cipppino with out Crab!!!
I will leave out the fennel and add some celery and bell pepper and basil. Thank You,
and remember the CRAB please.
Can I omit the fennel, and, can I freeze this to have as individual servings
Can the wine be omitted or something substituted for flavor.
?
Serve Cioppino with lots of toasted garlic bread (Texas toast is perfect to use) and lots of napkins as it is a little messy while eating. The garlic bread is great for dipping in the sauce. Skip the red pepper flakes if serving to people who don’t like spicy, but you can set some on the table for those who want to add them to their serving.
Great
Can you tell me what size Dutch Oven I should use for 6 or even 8? Looks delicious!
Theresa, I would use the larger one just in case you decide to add a little more of any of the seafoods, or all of them to make sure you have enough for a group…they always want seconds. If you need to add more sauce to compensate, I’ve used regular Prego or Ragu, without meat or sausage flavoring with no one the wiser. 😉
Delicious I substituted the fennel for celery seeds, caraway seeds and tsp cumin powder. Added tsp ground shrimp powder. Used whole clams and juice from can, about 1/2 cup, shrimp, whole blue crabs, and mussels. Added chopped black/green olives about 1/2 cup mixed and a tbsp of creole shrimp crab boil liquid to tomato rouexbase broth. Ate with crusty French bread!
Will try.
I made this tonight sans clams and mussels (for hubby) and it was delicious. For a bit of savings, I thawed frozen seafood, and there were no issues. Just two questions, though: Can you reheat the leftovers? I know the seafood might get a tad tougher, but we couldn’t eat everything. Also, are there any veggies you’d recommend adding to this? Thanks!!
Other than the diced tomatoes and onions called for in the recipe, I wouldn’t add celery, carrots, potatoes, or anything else. The tomato base complement’s the seafood perfectly, in my opinion. But you could always try some, but sliced very thinly so as to not overpower the tomato based sauce.
First time I ever saw this it looks so delicious
I made it dinner on Saturday, turned out delicious, thanks , for sharing