Name: Classic Cioppino Stew (Fish Stew)
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 24 littleneck clams, rinsed; 2 Tbsp olive oil; 1 cup onions, diced; 1 cup carrots, diced; 1 cup celery, diced; 3 anchovy fillets, minced; 1 1/2 Tbsp garlic, minced; 1 1/2 cups white wine; 1 (28 ounce) Muir Glen crushed tomatoes with basil; water that the clams were boiled in; 2 1/2 cups fish broth / stock; 1 bay leaf; 3 Tbsp fresh chiffonade basil; 2 Tbsp fresh chopped oregano; 3/4 tsp salt; 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper; 1 1/4 lb white fish, cubed (3/4") - i.e. cod, tile fish, tilapia, wreck fish, amberjack, sea bass, grouper; 1lb shrimp, peeled and deveined; 2 Tbsp (~ 1 lemon) fresh lemon juice; 1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped - as garnish; 3/4 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated - optional as garnish; 1 large Baguette or crusty bread - optional for dippin'

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This seafood Cioppino stew recipe will blow your mind. Cioppino is a chunky Italian fish / seafood stew with a tomato base.

Ingredient wise, it can be a little intimidating but that's life y'all - sometimes ya gotta put in the work for a beautiful seafood stew recipe.

White Shallow Bowl Filled with Tomato Based Red Stew with carrots, shrimp, and clams.

Cioppino Pronounced: "Chew Peeno"

Cioppino fish stew is an Italian American dish originating in San Francisco. Throw in any seafood that you've got to Cioppino - mussels, clams, shrimp, scallops, and white fish, etc...

Tip on fresh clams and mussels for seafood stew

Keep fresh shellfish like clams or mussels on ice and don't suffocate them with a bag. Rinse and scrub them and put them back on ice.

Discard any that are open before you start cooking and discard any that won't open after they've been cooked.

Cioppino Cooking Tips

I recommend Muir Glen canned tomatoes, but you can use other varieties of canned tomatoes for Cioppino. Sometimes other crushed varieties are more like tomato sauce and you want some tomato chunks. You can also substitute canned diced tomatoes with juices.

Make cioppino seafood stew easier by:

buying fish stock / broth from the store
buying pre-shelled and deveined shrimp
omitting fresh herbs and using a general Italian herb blend in the stew instead.

Homemade Fish Stew For The Ambitious

Make fresh fish stock out of the shrimp peels, fish carcass, vegetable peels, and random carrots/celery/herbs. Add enough water to cover by ~ 1 ½ inches, bring to a boil, and simmer covered ~ 30 -45 minutes.

Don't want to do all that for fish stock? I get it, buy premade fish stock for this cioppino stew recipe.

Things In My Kitchen:

Fish Spatula - I love this tool for flippin' fish or breaking up hamburger in a pan.
Microplane Zester - for finely grating the Parmesan cheese.
Fine Mesh Strainer - Set of 3 - for straining out the sand from the clam broth.

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White Shallow Bowl Filled with Tomato Based Red Stew with carrots, shrimp, and clams. Top view.

Classic Cioppino Stew (Fish Stew)

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EatSimpleFood.com

This Cioppino recipe will blow your mind. Cioppino is a chunky Italian fish stew with a tomato base. Ingredient wise, it can be a little intimidating but that's life y'all - sometimes ya gotta put in the work for a beautiful recipe.

Author: beckie
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Yield: 6
Category: Soup / Stew
Method: Stovetop
Cuisine: Italian
Diet: Gluten Free

Ingredients

24 littleneck clams, rinsed
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup onions, diced
1 cup carrots, diced
1 cup celery, diced
3 anchovy fillets, minced
1 ½ tablespoon garlic, minced
1 ½ cups white wine
1 (28 ounce) Muir Glen crushed tomatoes with basil
water that the clams were boiled in
2 ½ cups fish broth / stock
1 bay leaf
3 tablespoon fresh chiffonade basil
2 tablespoon fresh chopped oregano
¾ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 ¼ lb white fish, cubed (¾") - i.e. cod, tile fish, tilapia, wreck fish, amberjack, sea bass, grouper
1lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 tablespoon (~ 1 lemon) fresh lemon juice
⅓ cup fresh parsley, chopped - as garnish
¾ cup Parmesan Cheese, grated - optional as garnish
1 large Baguette or crusty bread - optional for dippin'

Instructions

Bring a large pot with 2" of water to a boil and add rinsed clams. Boil covered until opened (~ 8-10 minutes). Take them out one at a time as they open and set aside and cover. Reserve the cooking water for the stew and set aside. There may be some sand that settles to the bottom that you will to strain out and discard.
Bring the same pot to medium high heat and add olive oil. Reduce heat to medium and add onions, carrots, and celery. Cook covered for ~ 8 minutes or until soft.
Add anchovies and garlic and cook 1-2 minutes or until fragrant.
Add white wine, tomatoes, clam water (minus any sand!), fish stock, bay leaf, basil, oregano, salt, and crushed red pepper.
Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer covered ~ 20 minutes.
Add fish and shrimp and cook uncovered for ~ 3-5 minutes or until fish and shrimp are cooked through.
Remove from heat and add clams and lemon juice.
Add salt to taste. Serve in bowls and top with fresh Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley. Serve with crusty bread if you like.

Notes

You can use other varieties of canned tomatoes but sometimes other crushed varieties are more like tomato sauce and you want some tomato chunks. You can substitute canned diced tomatoes with juices
Make fresh fish stock out of the shrimp peels, fish carcass, vegetable peels, and random carrots/celery/herbs. Add enough water to cover by ~ 1 ½ inches, bring to a boil, and simmer covered ~ 30 -45 minutes.