Go Back
–+ servings
An image of a large dutch oven pot of San Francisco cioppino seafood stew made with the freshest seafood available and served with plenty of sliced sourdough bread.
Print Recipe
4.92 from 123 votes

Authentic San Francisco Cioppino Seafood Stew

A classic San Francisco cioppino seafood stew loaded with crab, clams, mussels, shrimp, scallops, and cod simmered in a tomato and white wine broth. Perfect with sourdough for a comforting, crowd-pleasing meal.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time50 minutes
Total Time1 hour 5 minutes
Course: Soup
Cuisine: American
Servings: 6 adults
Author: Amy Nash

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.
Adapted from AllRecipes.
 

Nutrition

Calories: 519kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 52g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 227mg | Sodium: 2371mg | Potassium: 1675mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 1090IU | Vitamin C: 31mg | Calcium: 275mg | Iron: 7mg

QR code

Scan this QR code with your phone's camera to view this recipe on your mobile device.

qr code