Perfect Cioppino

Cioppino is a seafood stew of briny abundance. A wide assortment of seafood served in a large bowl with steaming broth, it’s a dish best shared with someone who also loves seafood. I prefer attacking it with both a fork and a spoon to make sure I can drink the fragrant broth as I eat my way to the bottom of the bowl, throwing empty clam and mussel shells aside as I empty them.

While cioppino may sound fancy, it’s a stew that comes together fairly quickly — faster, in fact, than many meat-based stews. The broth just needs a quick simmer before you toss in the seafood to quickly do the final round of cooking. It’s completely doable for a dinner party (you can make it ahead up to the point where the seafood goes in) or for a cozy night in.

Cioppino is a dish that was created in the late 1800s or early 1900s by Italian immigrant fishermen in San Francisco. These fishermen would contribute leftovers from the day’s Pacific Ocean catch and turn it into a hearty stew. The makeup of the seafood would vary depending on what was available. Today, it’s one of San Francisco’s most beloved dishes. You’ll find it everywhere in the city, from the touristy areas of Fisherman’s Wharf and Pier 39 and beyond.

Bouillabaisse is a French seafood stew originating from fishermen in Marseille, made of a combination of local Mediterranean fish and other seafood. Both stews call for tomatoes, but you’ll find less in the saffron broth of bouillabaisse. Bouillabaisse also includes leeks and potatoes. Italian American-based cioppino contains seafood local to the San Francisco Bay Area cooked in a white wine and tomato broth. Cioppino is often served with sourdough bread; bouillabaisse is served with bread spread with rouille, a garlicky mayonnaise.

• Sauté the aromatics. Cook fennel, onion or shallot, and garlic until tender and aromatic. Cook with a little tomato paste to add a deeper flavor to the broth.
• Deglaze with white wine. Add white wine and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook until the wine is almost all evaporated.
• Simmer the broth. Add fish or seafood stock (check your local fishmonger to see if they make their own) and a can of diced tomatoes. Let simmer to reduce slightly and let the flavors meld.
• Cook the clams and mussels. Add the clams and mussels in first, and cook until they start to open.
• Cook the shrimp and fish. Add the shrimp and fish and cook gently in the broth until almost cooked through. Turn off the heat and let them finish cooking in the residual heat to prevent overcooking.
• Serve with crusty bread. Top with parsley and serve with crusty bread for dipping in the rich broth.

• Cioppino tastes best with the freshest seafood. Use the seafood listed here as a guideline, but buy what looks (or smells) best at the market. Feel free to swap in crab, squid, or scallops; just change up the cooking time as needed so they don’t overcook.
• Leftover cioppino makes a great pasta sauce. Especially if you finish cooking the pasta directly in the cioppino for a minute or two so it has a chance to soak up the flavor.