Italian-American
San Francisco Cioppino with Mussels, Clams, Shrimp, and White Wine
This cioppino builds a deeply savory tomato-wine broth first, then cooks the shellfish and fish in stages so everything stays tender and sweet. Fennel, garlic, clam juice, and herbs make it taste like a proper fishing-wharf stew instead of generic seafood soup.
Gluten-FreeDairy-FreeHigh ProteinLow CarbSeafoodMake AheadOne PanComfort Food
At a Glance
- Time
- 1 hr 15 mins
- Serves
- 6
- Cost
- High
- Cuisine
- Italian-American
- Dietary fit
- Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a wide Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook the fennel and onion with a pinch of salt until softened and sweet, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic, red pepper flakes, and tomato paste and cook until the paste darkens slightly and smells savory.
- Pour in the wine and simmer until reduced by about half. Add the clam juice, stock, and tomatoes, then bring the pot to a steady simmer and cook for 20 minutes until the broth tastes concentrated and balanced. It should read as briny, tomatoey, and faintly sweet from the fennel.
- Season the fish chunks and shrimp lightly with salt. Add the clams and cook for 3 minutes, then add the mussels and fish and cover the pot for 4 minutes more so the shellfish start to open and the fish turns opaque at the edges.
- Add the shrimp and simmer uncovered for 2 to 3 minutes until they curl and turn pink and all the shellfish have opened. Discard any mussels or clams that stay shut. The broth should stay lively but not boil hard, which would toughen the seafood.
- Stir in the parsley and reserved fennel fronds, taste for salt and pepper, and serve immediately with bread for dipping.
Adaptations
Works As Written- Gluten-Free: Works As Written Works as written; verify packaged ingredients as noted below.
- Dairy-Free: Works As Written Works as written; verify packaged ingredients as noted below.
- Vegetarian: Not Vegetarian Not adaptable; this recipe is built around meat, poultry, or seafood.
How to adapt: Naturally gluten-free and dairy-free as written; just serve with gluten-free bread if you want something to soak up the broth.