This cioppino seafood stew brings the spirit of San Francisco straight to the table with a rich tomato broth, bright white wine, and a generous mix of fresh clams, mussels, shrimp, crab, scallops, and cod. It’s an Italian American classic that feels celebratory without any extra effort, especially with crusty sourdough bread ready to soak up every last drop!
Living in the California Bay Area means easy access to incredible seafood, especially on days when I’m meeting my husband in San Francisco for lunch or date night. While researching iconic foods that came out of California for the American Eats series, I realized I had never actually tried cioppino despite all the meals we’ve enjoyed in the city.
Learning the heartwarming story of how Genoese fishermen in North Beach created this tomato and wine based seafood stew using whatever seafood came in from the Bay made me appreciate why it remains such a beloved choice for holidays and special gatherings.
For more comforting cold-weather soups, be sure to check out our Maryland Crab Soup, Better-Than-Panera Broccoli Cheese Soup, and Tortellini Soup with Italian Sausage.
Why you’ll love this family favorite recipe!
- It’s wonderfully flexible. Use your favourite mix of clams, mussels, shrimp, crab, scallops, or firm white fish while still holding onto the classic San Francisco flavours.
- The tomato and white wine broth comes together quickly and tastes incredible when made with fresh seafood, which gives the stew its signature briny, coastal depth.
- It’s a brilliant recipe for entertaining, especially with a loaf of crusty sourdough and a chilled glass of dry white wine to round out a proper Italian American style dinner.
What is Cioppino?
Almost every notable seafood restaurant in San Francisco has cioppino on the menu. It was created in the late 1800s by Italian fishermen from the Genoa region who lived and worked in North Beach by the Bay. The story goes that when someone came back from a slow day on the water, the other fishermen would chip in a crab, a few mussels, or a piece of fish, knowing they’d need the same help on another day. It was a true community pot.
Cioppino is traditionally made with the freshest seafood in a light tomato, herb, and white wine broth, often featuring Dungeness crab, clams, bay scallops, shrimp, squid, mussels, and fish. It’s always served with plenty of San Francisco sourdough to soak up the rich, flavourful broth.
What You’ll Need
Scroll down to the recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
- Granulated Sugar – This thickens the fruit into a sauce and makes it deliciously sweet.
- Butter – Use salted butter to bring out the flavors when sautéeing the veg. You can use olive oil if you prefer, but I like the buttery flavor.
- Vegetables – We’ll use sautéed onion and a fennel bulb to give us a great savory taste.
- Seasoning – Use fresh garlic that you mince yourself, along with fresh parsley, dried basil, kosher salt, dried thyme, dried oregano, red pepper flakes, and bay leaves for a dish that is bursting with flavor!
- Wine – Use white wine for an added bitter-sweet taste to the hearty stew. This can be replaced with additional fish or chicken stock.
- Tomatoes – Use crushed tomatoes as well as diced tomatoes for the cioppino base.
- Stock – Fish or seafood stock will bring the seafood flavors together well. You can use a mixture of chicken stock and clam juice instead if you need.
- Seafood – Use a mixture of fresh fish: small clams, mussels, a Dungeness crab**, large shrimp, bay scallops, and a cod fillet for this recipe.
- Garnish – Use fresh basil and fresh parsley to garnish.
How to Make San Francisco Cioppino Seafood Stew
- Prepare the broth. Melt the butter over medium heat in a large Dutch oven, then add the onion, fennel, garlic, and parsley. Sauté until the onions are soft, about 10 minutes.
- Add seasoning. Stir in the basil, salt, thyme, oregano, and red pepper flakes, and cook for another 2 minutes to bring out their flavor.
- Add wet ingredients and bay leaves. Pour in the white wine, crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, fish stock, and bay leaves. Cover and reduce the heat to medium low.
- Cook. Simmer for 30 minutes so the flavors can blend. While the broth cooks, prep the crab by removing the legs from the body (if needed) and gently cracking the shells so the meat is easier to reach once served.
- Add seafood. Increase the heat to medium, add the clams and mussels, and cook for about 5 minutes until they start to open. Add the crab legs and cook for another minute, then add the shrimp and scallops. Lay the chunks of cod on top, cover, and cook for 3 to 5 minutes until the mussels and clams have opened, the shrimp curl, and the scallops are just firm.
- Serve. Ladle the cioppino into large bowls and garnish with fresh parsley and basil. Serve with warm, crusty sourdough bread, and set out plenty of napkins, bowls for shells, nutcrackers, and small forks for the crab.
Recipe FAQ’s
Some say the name comes from the idea of fishermen “chipping in” a bit of their catch, although it’s more likely tied to cioppin, a traditional Genoese fish stew that inspired the San Francisco version we now know as cioppino seafood stew.
Serve cioppino in a wide bowl with plenty of crusty sourdough for a true San Francisco experience, Garlic and Rosemary Artisan Bread or Garlic Bread, to soak up the tomato and white wine broth. Or Homemade Bread Bowls, top it with croutons, or spoon it over pasta or White Rice to make it extra filling. Make an extra bowl available for people to discard the inedible shells in.
Fish and shellfish are always best enjoyed the same day, and cioppino is no exception. The seafood can turn rubbery once reheated, so I always recommend making San Francisco cioppino fresh rather than preparing it ahead.
Tips for Success
- Choose the freshest seafood you can find for the best flavor in San Francisco cioppino. Whole Foods, Asian markets, and local fishmongers are all great places to pick up clams, mussels, crab, and firm white fish.
- Traditional cioppino often includes shell on crab and mussels, so expect a bit of mess at the table. Keep plenty of napkins nearby and treat it as part of the fun when serving this seafood stew.
- If you prefer not to cook with wine, simply replace the white wine with extra seafood stock. The broth will still taste rich and balanced.
If you are planning a trip to San Francisco in the future, be sure to check out this 3-Day San Francisco itinerary for all the best places to see!
Substitutions and Variations
- If you can’t find fish or seafood stock, use chicken stock with a small bottle of clam juice to add the briny flavor cioppino is known for.
- If Dungeness crab isn’t available where you live, snow crab, blue claw, stone crab claws, or even Alaskan king crab will all work really well in cioppino. You can also use crab meat instead of whole legs and body, which definitely makes the stew easier to eat, although serving the crab in the shell is such a fun presentation if you want that classic San Francisco cioppino look.
- If you can’t find fennel bulbs, don’t swap in fennel seeds alone because the flavor and texture are completely different. The closest substitution is a mix of celery or bok choy with a small amount of fennel seeds to bring in that hint of anise. For this recipe, one fennel bulb can be replaced with about half a pound of celery plus half a teaspoon of fennel seeds.
- Add crushed red pepper flakes or fresh chili if you want a spicier cioppino seafood stew.
More Hearty Soup Recipes
- Creamy Irish Leek and Potato Soup
- New England Fish Chowder
- Zuppa Toscana
- Smoked Salmon Chowder with Bacon
- One Pot Lasagna Soup
Authentic San Francisco Cioppino Seafood Stew
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter
- 1 onion chopped
- 1 fennel bulb thinly sliced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- ½ bunch fresh parsley chopped
- 1 tablespoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 ½ cups white wine optional – can replace with additional fish or chicken stock
- 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes
- 5 cups fish or seafood stock*
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 pound small clams
- 1 pound mussels scrubbed and debearded
- 2 pounds crab I used 1 whole cooked Dungeness crab**, with its legs removed from its body
- 1 pound uncooked large shrimp peeled and deveined
- 1 pound bay scallops
- ½ pound cod fillet cut into large chunks (or other firm-fleshed fish like halibut or salmon)
- Fresh basil and parsley chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- Melt the butter over medium heat in a large dutch oven, then add the onion, fennel, garlic, parsley, sauteing until the onions are soft, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, basil, salt, thyme, oregano, and red pepper flakes and saute 2 minutes longer.½ cup butter, 1 onion, 1 fennel bulb, 4 cloves garlic, ½ bunch fresh parsley, 1 tablespoon dried basil, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon dried thyme, ½ teaspoon dried oregano, ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- Add the white wine, crushed and diced tomatoes, fish stock, and bay leaves, then cover and reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer for 30 minutes so the flavors can blend. While the broth simmers, prepare the crab by removing the crab legs from the body (if not already done for you) and using a nutcracker to crack the shells (leave the meat in the shell) so that the meat can be easily removed once the cioppino is served.1 ½ cups white wine, 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes, 1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes, 5 cups fish or seafood stock*, 2 bay leaves
- Increase the heat to medium and add the clams and mussels to the broth and cook for 5 minutes until they start to open. Then add the crab legs and cook for another minute, followed by the shrimp and scallops. Finally, lay the chunks of cod on top of the broth and cover and cook for 3-5 minutes until the mussels and clams are open, the shrimp curl and the scallops are just firm.1 pound small clams, 1 pound mussels, 2 pounds crab, 1 pound uncooked large shrimp, 1 pound bay scallops, ½ pound cod fillet
- Ladle the cioppino into large bowls garnish with chopped fresh parsley and basil. Serve with warm, crusty sourdough bread! Have plenty of napkins, extra bowls for shells, and nutcrackers and tiny forks on hand for the crab.Fresh basil and parsley
Notes
- * You can replace all or part of the fish or seafood stock with the same amount of chicken stock along with a small bottle of clam juice instead.
- ** If Dungeness crab is not available, you could use snow crab, blue claw, stone crab claws, or even Alaskan King crab. Also, you could just use crab meat instead of the legs and body, which would certainly make this cioppino easier to eat, although it is such a fun presentation to have the crab legs.
- Use the freshest mix of clams, mussels, shrimp, scallops, crab, and firm white fish for the best flavor.
- If you don’t cook with wine, replace it with extra seafood stock.
- Keep napkins and small bowls handy for shells if using whole crab or shellfish.
- Crack crab legs before simmering so the meat is easier to access at the table.
Storage
- Store: Cioppino is best enjoyed the day it’s made since seafood becomes rubbery when reheated.
- Make Ahead: You can prep the broth (without seafood) 1 day ahead, then add the seafood right before serving.
This is the best cioppino recipe ever!!!! This is most like what you would get served at San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf, because that is where I had my first cioppino bowl. Every other recipe I have tried has fallen way short of my memory. Try this and you will not be disappointed. Amy has many great recipes that just exhude great taste.
How big of a Dutch oven will I need to make this? I have a 7.25qt (I believe) Le Creuset Dutch oven…will that fit all of this amazing seafood?
That should be plenty big. I’m pretty sure mine is a 6.9 quart dutch oven.
Can I use fresh herbs (thyme, oregano, and basil) instead of dried?
Absolutely!
,This recipe took me back to San Francisco
I’ve eaten cioppino. Wrong spelling : for years. This took me back to when San Francisco. Was a glamorous city. Thank you!
The broth was SOOO good! We live in the SF bay area and this is as good or better as anything we’ve tasted at the wharf. Definitely will be making this again!
I made this last night, it was AMAZING!!!! Better than any restaurant cioppino I have had.
Are use the whole bottle of Kendall Jackson Chardonnay, I didn’t have any dried basil so I added Italian seasoning, I couldn’t find fish stock so I use clam juice. It was off the charts amazing.
I served it with garlic bread, I used to carry gold butter room temperature, fresh garlic, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, grated Parmesan, and paprika .
😋😋😋😋
Thank you for the wonderful review, Kerry! So glad you loved this as much as we do!
How do u store leftovers? Could this be made ahead?
Keep any leftovers in the fridge and reheat on the stove. If you want to make this in advance, I would recommend making the broth, then reheating it before adding the seafood.
I made this recipe and it was wonderful! I doubled the sauce to have more and it got rave reviews from my Christmas Eve guests. I will use this recipe again. Goes well with an Italian Christmas Eve meal.
This was fabulous. Felt like it compared to any restaurant. Did’’t use crab
Legs but with all the other fish/seafood didn’t miss it during COVID days. Highly recommend.
Hi, for my birthday this year I decided to make it a dine in dinner due to the current situation of COVID 19. I chose to make this recipe because I am a seafood fan, and was looking for a restaurant style dish with lots of flavor. It seemed like a lot of food at first for little old me, but then again, tomorrow’s another day and I don’t plan on stopping eating any time soon. So thanks for this lovely recipe.
Absolutely delicious outcome. We followed the recipe to a tee and we were all delighted with the results. Everyone was soaking up the remaking liquid in the bowl with sourdough bread.
Absolutely beautiful. Crab isn’t readily available in the uk, but added everything else! I also added a small amount of tagliatelle to the bottom of our bowls. Absolute winner here. Beautiful recipe. Thankyou x
Madd this recipe for family. I was told this sauce was better then a sauce handed down for four generations. I bought a sea food ” bundle ” for cipino and it was wonderful. Lots of french bread and some pasta. Served with some red wine. It was a hit! Highly recommend this recipe
Made this recipe for family. I was told this sauce was better then a sauce handed down for four generations. I bought a sea food ” bundle ” for cipino and it was wonderful. Lots of french bread and some pasta. Served with some red wine. It was a hit! Highly recommend this recipe
I think one correction needs to be made to Step 1. It references adding the garlic at 2 different times … first to be sauteed with the onions, fennel, etc. for 10 minutes … and then again to be added to the pan along with the herbs for a couple of minutes after the 10 minute onion/fennel sauté is done.
Knowing how easy it is to burn garlic, I can’t imagine you would want to sauté it for 10 minutes with the onions/fennel … so I am going to assume that it should only be added at the end for a couple of minutes with the herbs (like it is usually done in most recipes).
Good catch! I thought that was weird too. Thanks for the tip
Good catch! I thought that was weird too. Thanks for the tip
My husband and I tried this soup last night and were so excited after tasting it! It is now our favorite soup to make in our home. I have been sharing it with family and friends!
Use ouzo ir other Mediterranean liquor instead of wine it really adds to the flavor. Italians like aniseed flavor
How many does this serve
About 6-8 people.
Is a dutch oven needed for this recipe?
No, you can use any quality pot for it that you would typically use for soup.
Wow, this was tasty! My five year old inhaled it.
No celery. Interesting. Many cioppino recipes call for it.
You are certainly welcome to add it!
Celery is often used as a substitute for the fennel which is more Italian.
I’m making this for Christmas dinner in a couple days and can not wait! I do have a question I’m hoping someone can answer. I’m a bit confused on what to do with the crab body. Does that go into the cioppino as well or do just the legs go in? If the body does go in, I’d assume there’s meat in there too?
Thank you!
You can add the whole crab body or just the legs. There is meat in both although it can be a little harder to access the meat in the body of the crab so often people will cut them in half before adding to the broth.
Thank you so much for the reply!! I made the broth last night (to get that part out of the way) and it is delicious!!!! Can’t wait to serve this for Christmas dinner!!
When you use Dungeons crab there always is a great deal of crab. We split ours in half and put in sauce then serve it in bowl. Best if use a wide flat style bowl.
This us by far the best cioppino recipe I’ve ever made. It’s always my go to when I get fennel in my CSA box (I can’t stand fennel in anything other than cioppino). Do you think I could potentially make the base soup and freeze it for future use? And then thaw and add the seafood later?
This is perfect.Havnt made this yet,but reading the ingredients it sounds spot on.What I like to do when I make a base is to use dried herbs,then let it sit for a day or two in the fridge.When I reheat it,I zap it with a bunch of fresh herbs 15 min or so before the seafood is added.Wonderful burst of fresh flavor with all the melded flavors from sitting for a day or two.
This was a hit last night for our Christmas Eve Feast of the Seven Fishes!! So good! Had to omit the Fennel bulb due to lack of availability. Used the alternate for the seafood stock for the same reason. Added Calamari tubes and tentacles as it’s a favorite in our house. This recipe will be on our menu every Christmas Eve! Thank you!
Great recipe. Made these alterations. In the sauce, I used 2 onions, 3 fennel bulbs, 10 cloves of garlic, and 3 finely diced jalapeños. I added a tablespoon of Calabrian chili powder from Oaktown Spice Shop. 3 quarts of homemade fish stock (you can also buy at Tokyo fish market or other place). Made broth 4 hours in advance and simmered for 3 hours covered. Let sit, then heated to a boil before adding fish. The sooner you do the broth the better. I might even do it and wait a day. Not fresh local crab so I doubled the mussels, clams and cod.
I don’t understand the instruction in Step number two that says”While the meat simmers.” Is it a typo or am I missing something? Could you please clarify? Thanks so much!
Sorry! That was a weird typo – it should have read “broth” instead of “meat”. I fixed it in the recipe instructions. Thanks!
Thank you! Made Cioppino and it came out delicious!
Much of the seafood I’m using is frozen. Should I defrost it first or put it in the broth to cook from frozen?
It can go in frozen.
How do you cook the crab prior to putting it in the stew?
Also if opting to include calamari, would that be thrown in with the scallops etc?
Hi! All you need to do is boil or steam the crab anywhere from 15-20 minutes depending on how big the crab is. 1 1/2- to 2 1/2-pound crabs about 15 minutes, and 3-pound crabs about 20 minutes. Rinse in cold water when done. Yes, just add the calamari with the scallops and shrimp.
Can I adapt this recipe to be made in a slow cooker? I am really looking forward to trying this . All of these rave reviews can’t be wrong!!!
Yes, you could! I would make the broth on low for 3-4 hours and reserve all of the seafood to add toward the very end (the last 20 minutes or so).
Spot on! Very delicious. I used fish stock, and then added two can of chicken broth. I like to soak up the broth with sourdough. So good!
Great Cioppino Recipe. perfect for the holidays
I am so glad you enjoyed it!
Looks like a good recipe but the pop ups made it so difficult to read
Great ingredient list!!!
Would you be my cook for a day and make this recipe for. Make it like I was at THE BAY CITY
I made this today. Easy to follow recipe. Came out delicious!! Thank you.
Yay! Thanks for making it!
This was very good. I found Dungeness Crab on sale at Whole Foods. Then I was able to find the additional ingredients, expect for bay scallops; they were omitted. When we lived in Tiburon we went to SF and bought the crab live.
Great! I am glad you could make it!
Question, what brand of tomatoes and fish stock do you use ?
Gosh, whatever is on sale most of the time. I don’t have a preferred one of either of those ingredients.
I just made this for Christmas Eve for the Feast of the Seven Fishes. OMGosh so delicious! Even the leftovers were amazing. Will make this one all year round. A definite hit with my family.
I’m glad to hear it!
Just delicious!
Thank you!
This recipe looks & sounds perfect in every way! I will be making it for Sunday lunch after Church! We can’t wait to eat it! Thank you for the great recipe!
Great! Let me know how it goes!
Best cioppino I’ve had in my life. This recipe is special!!
Thank you so much Logan for letting me know! I appreciate it!
I made this on a Chilly day in Feb here in Atlanta. One of the best Seafood dishes Ive ever made, if not the best. My Family still talks about that broth to this day. Patiently awating the first chilly Fall day in October so I can throw down again!
Ha ha sounds like it was very memorable! It makes me happy to know your family loved it!
I’ve made this before, and it was great. But I was wondering what you think about substituting a 28 ounce can of whole peeled tomatoes for the 14.5 ounce can of diced tomatoes, then subtracting 1.75-2 cups out of the fish stock amount so you use 3-3.25 cups? I’m going to try that this year. I thought if you’re using a 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes, the whole peeled tomatoes 28 ounce can is right in the same place as the crushed tomatoes. And we like soups with large chunks of tomatoes, so when I do this in other soups, I cut the whole tomatoes in half with a kitchen scissors.
Sounds great! You can make any adjustments to suit your tastes. Let me know how it turns out!
I have three family recipes for cioppino that we rotate through but I decided to try something new this Christmas. I tried not to make many modifications and found this recipe to be outstanding. My only modification/addition is I added a squid cut into tenticles and rings and added it with the scallops and I added some bell peppers to the vegetable base.
I used https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/seafood-stock-recipe-1925497 to make a homemade stock and this is not a step that should be taken lightly. Shells from the shrimp and a few shells from the crab made up the base. Incredible reviews from the entire family.
Thank you so much! It makes me so happy when the soup is well loved. Sounds like you made a great soup!