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Epicurious

Cioppino Seafood Stew With Gremolata Toasts

5.0

(76)

Read ReviewsTriangle
Bowl of cioppino with mussels clams halibut and other seafood in tomato broth.
Cioppino Seafood Stew with Gremolata ToastsCharles Masters, food styling by Sue Li

  • Active Time

    1 Hour

  • Total Time

    1½ Hours

Feel free to experiment with your favorite seafood in this classic San Franciscan fisherman's stew. And don't forget to use the toasts slathered with zippy gremolata butter to soak up the flavorful broth. Bonus: Cioppino is great for entertaining since you can make the base a day in advance.

Ingredients

Makes 6 servings

3 garlic cloves, divided
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
¾ cup finely chopped onion
½ cup packed sliced fennel
¼ cup finely chopped celery
1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
½ teaspoon red-pepper flakes
½ pound cleaned squid, bodies sliced into ½-inch rings, tentacles halved lengthwise if large
½ tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 cup dry white wine
1 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes
2 bay leaves
1 8-ounce bottle clam juice
1½ cups seafood stock or vegetable broth
½ stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature
3 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley, divided
½ teaspoon lemon zest
1 baguette, sliced and toasted
1 pound littleneck clams, soaked in water for 1 hour
½ pound medium tail-on shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 pound mussels, scrubbed and de-bearded
½ pound skinless flaky white fish such as bass, halibut, hake, or cod, cut into 1-inch pieces

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Mince 2 of the garlic cloves. In a large pot over medium heat, heat oil. Add onion, fennel, celery, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the minced garlic and red-pepper flakes. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until garlic is golden and fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes more.

    Step 2

    Reduce heat to medium-low and add squid. Cook, stirring occasionally, until squid is opaque and tender and the released juices reduce, 15 to 20 minutes. Add tomato paste and oregano and cook, stirring, 1 minute.

    Step 3

    Add wine, raise heat to medium-high, and cook until cooking liquid is reduced by half, 5 to 7 minutes. Add tomatoes with their juice, bay leaves, clam juice, and stock. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook, covered, 30 minutes. Stir in ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning.

    Step 4

    Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix the butter, 1 tablespoon parsley, lemon zest, and ¼ teaspoon salt together. Cut remaining garlic clove in half and rub the cut sides on the toasts. Spread the flavored butter on the toasts.

    Step 5

    When ready to serve, heat the pot to medium and add clams, cover, and cook for 3 minutes. Stir in the shrimp and mussels. Arrange the fish on top of the stew, cover, and simmer until shellfish opens and fish and shrimp are firm and opaque, about 5 minutes more. Discard bay leaves and stir in remaining 2 tablespoons parsley.

    Step 6

    Serve cioppino immediately in large soup bowls with gremolata toasts alongside.

Cooks' Note

Soup base can be made to the point just before adding clams and refrigerated overnight if desired. To serve, reheat the base and add the seafood in the order described above.

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Reviews (76)

Back to TopTriangle

  • This was delicious! I followed the directions with only 3 small changes; used half the red pepper flakes, made a quick broth with the shrimp shells instead of using chicken or veggie broth, and added stone crab claws at the very end just to warm them. Made the bread as directed, and I agree with the rest of the reviews it takes it to another level. It was husband's birthday and just the 2 of us, so we have delicious leftovers. Also read that Cioppino can be frozen - may try that instead and enjoy it next week, again. It did take a little time for prep, next time I will utilize the food processor for onions, etc. and have the shrimp peeled at the store. Bought mussels already debearded, and calamari already cleaned. Agree this would be perfect for a dinner party where broth is made day before and seafood added while guests are present and having their cocktails

    • Marta

    • Sugar Land, TX

    • 12/14/2022

  • Cioppino is my 20 year Christmas Eve tradition for my family. I have made four different version all featured on Epicurious, but this is by far the best and most loved. The base is more saucy and less brothy, the crabmeat adds a nice dimensions to the sauce, and the fennel provides a clean accent, mussels are an interactive feature, and the toast is a different texture to keep things interesting. This is officially our new family Christmas Eve meal tradition.

    • Anonymous

    • 12/25/2021

  • I have tried to make Cioppino but never turned out very well. I always yhugh something was missing and I found out from your recipe it was fennel! I would recommend adding more than a 1/2 cup, as there is nothing like it's distinctive and refreshing flavor!

    • Nona

    • Palm Beach Gardens

    • 12/20/2021

  • Delicious - and so easy for a cold-weather dinner party because you can prep a bunch beforehand, then finish the seafood right before you're ready to eat. Feels special enough for a dinner party, but also light enough that if you are also having a dessert (a friend brought a lemon tart), you won't be overwhelmed. I would recommend making the full base recipe even if you're halving the seafood for a smaller number of people. If you think it seems like a lot, the base freezes well, but I felt like even when halving the seafood for three people, you still need a fair amount of liquid to cook it in. Also, BE CAREFUL with the timing. The timing the recipe provides isn't foolproof for the seafood, you have to use your own judgement. I didn't use squid, so I don't know about that, but when I had both clams and mussels, the clams had quite a heavy shell and took a lot longer than they were supposed to. I ended up pulling them out, and trying to steam them open separately. Shrimp also only take like 3 minutes and can easily get overcooked. I also highly recommend including the toasts. I did mine like garlic bread, melting butter with minced garlic, spreading it over big slices of bread, popping it under the broiler for a minute and then topping with fresh parsley and lemon zest.

    • laurenrds

    • Brooklyn, NY

    • 3/17/2021

  • This is so good!! Make it! I made the base in the morning and left it on super low on the stove all day and added Cod, shrimp and the mussels right before we ate it.

    • teverton23

    • Austin, Texas

    • 2/14/2021

  • Love this recipe. It has become my Christmas Eve dish and special occasions. I add scallops and ditch the clams. Recommend it to anyone wanting a wholesome meal to entertain multiple hungrey guests. Best if you make the base the day before IMHO.

    • Hungry Brit

    • Downingtown PA

    • 2/6/2021

  • Call it whatever you want -- this is delicious. We had to make a few changes because we couldn't find everything the recipe calls for and it was still great. We couldn't find squid or mussels and didn't have wine. We'll definitely serve this again.

    • samzillla

    • St. Petersburg, FL

    • 1/13/2021

  • This is without a doubt the best recipie ever!! I used extra garlic and used calamari, clams , shrimp, and scallops instead of the Mussels and white fish. Made it for. Christmas Eve Dinner! Was amazing! Entire family loved it!!

    • Anonymous

    • Rochester NY

    • 1/2/2021

  • Nothing short of remarkable! I doubled the recipe, following exactly as described using squid, shrimp, clams, mussels and haddock. This Cioppino has become an instant classic in this household! Many thanks for this wonderful recipe!!!!

    • NJ Frank

    • 1/1/2021

  • I LOVE this recipe. I've made it several times now and take three days to do it: first stock, then I make the red base, then day three is eating day when I add the seafood. Do not skip the toast! Really brings everything together nicely.

    • maddux1

    • Atlanta

    • 12/14/2020

  • Great recipe! Lots of options with seafood. I substituted monk fish for squid. skipped the mussels. Stuck with strip and clams. very tasty. Definitely adding this to the rotation!

    • Anonymous

    • Virginia

    • 7/31/2020

  • Great, quick recipe with such a nice flavor. We only used shrimp and tilapia, because we didn't have anything else, and it was soooo good. We also added about four sundried tomatoes packed in oil, chopped, and more onion, no fennel. It's very adaptable. I ate it over quinoa and my husband it over pasta. No need for bread.

    • sarahrwauters

    • Los Angeles

    • 6/11/2020

  • Fantastic flavor and aromas. I used scallops, large shrimp, little neck clams and swordfish. Next time I will add a bit more garlic, sliced fennel, and squid. I made this for a dinner with friends and they loved it.

    • sandrayum

    • New Hampshire

    • 1/21/2020

  • Made it tonight to rave reviews from my husband and daughter. I boiled the shrimp shells to make stock (boiled with 8 0z. additional clam juice, water, fresh thyme, parseley, garlic clove, white pepper, salt, and fennel leaves). Yielded 3 1/2 cups stock which I used and added the 8 oz. clam juice called for in the recipe. Left out the celery because I didn’t have any. Substituted one large shallot for the onion. Left out the clams. Used 3/4 lb. squid, 3/4 lb. fresh cod, 1 lb. shrimp. Otherwise followed recipe

    • 4lakescook

    • Wisconsin

    • 12/18/2019

  • This thing is awesome. I bought this combination frozen seafood from Costco which included shrimp, scallops, muscles, and squid. I doubled the ingredients required. I added butter TO THE SOUP. Lastly, I added cooked mini shell pasta, thus no need for a baguette. AWESOME!

    • nalibrahim

    • 1/29/2019

TagsStewSoup/StewItalian AmericanItalianEuropeanFennelRoot VegetableVegetableSquidShellfishSeafoodCanned TomatoTomatoClamShrimpMusselParsleyHerbs & SpicesFishBassHalibutCodMainDinnerNut FreeMake AheadOne-Pot MealsSimmerEpicurious

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