Cioppino Seafood Stew was made famous in San Francisco and has humble origins. This amazing Italian tomato stew is rich and warm. It’s also loaded with fresh seafood. The best garnish is crusty garlic bread!
Cioppino’s Origins
The story that is most widely accepted comes from the mid-1800’s, when an Italian fisherman from Genoa opened the first waterfront seafood restaurant, in what is now the San Francisco Financial District. The term Chiappa in Genoa means “fish market”, and in Genovese, the word cioppin means “fish stew”. Thus, cioppino seafood stew was born in San Francisco.
Cioppino Seafood Stew is a great weekend recipe!
Once you have tried this amazing Cioppino recipe you will understand why it is still so popular today! The recipe has 2 parts but both are relatively simple.
This is a weekend recipe for me because there is a bit of prep and the sauce needs to simmer for about 3 hours. The good news is that the sauce can be doubled and freezes very well. If you double it, then freeze it, then you just need to add sauteed seafood for an amazing weekday meal.
Types of Fish for Cioppino Seafood Stew:
- Clams and Mussels
- Scallops – you can use small or cut larger scallops into pieces
- Prawns – shelled and deveined but leave to tail on
- Crabmeat and optional crab legs
- Firm white fish, such as halibut, swordfish, and seabass, cut into cubes
- If you have a quality seafood market near you ask the fishmonger for fish pieces or trimmings – this will make it truly authentic
How to make Cioppino Seafood Stew:
Step 1 – Make the amazing sauce!
Because the sauce needs to simmer for about 3 hours this will be your first step. Don’t skimp on the simmer time because it’s essential for great flavor. The prep is easy and straightforward for this sauce and can be put together in about 15 minutes, then left to simmer.
Step 2 – Prepare the clams and mussels:
Be sure to clean and scrub the clams and mussels before you start to steam them to remove any sand and grit.
Steam with water, wine, and garlic. It’s important to discard any unopened clams or mussels.
Turn off the heat and leave the steamed shellfish to rest. Do not discard the steamed water because you will be using it later and it’s full of delicious flavor!
Step 3 – Prepare and Sauteeing the fish:
Pat dry the scallops, prawns, and fish pieces, and place them in a shallow bowl. Lightly dust the fish with flour and shake off the excess.
Using a large 6 quart saute pan heat the butter, olive oil, and garlic.
Sauté each fish separately for about 2 minutes each. Remove after sautéeing and place in a bowl (to capture any liquid). If you have a very large pan you can sauté more than one type of fish at a time, but be sure that they are in a single layer. Remove all the fish from saute pan before the next step and set aside.
Step 4 – Finishing the Cioppino:
After the fish is removed from the pan add the white wine to deglaze the pan. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the pan with a flat spatula to loosen all the golden bits. That’s where a lot of the flavor lies so don’t skip this step.
The final step is to combine everything into the pan, including the sauce, sautéed seafood, and any accumulated juices, clams, and mussels with their cooking liquid, and crab meat. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes.
Cioppino is best served with crusty garlic bread
Make Ahead and Storage ideas:
Make Ahead:
- Make sauce, let cool, then refrigerate for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 3-months without the fish added. When ready to use, reheat the sauce and then continue by preparing the fish
- This sauce is easily doubled
- Since this recipe is big (enough for 6 servings) the sauce can be made, divided into smaller portions, and stored in the freezer (no fish added) until ready to use for smaller dinners. Adjust the amount of fish needed based on the amount of sauce you’ve reserved.
Storage:
- Store prepared cioppino for up to 1 day in a sealed container in the refrigerator. Freezing with fish added is not recommended
Pairing with wine:
I like to use the same dry white wine that is used in the recipe, such as a crisp Sauvignon Blanc. The stew also goes well with a buttery Chardonnay.
If red wine is preferred, Pinot Noir pairs nicely with this stew.
Looking for a quicker seafood recipe? Take a look at these recipes:
- Our easy Perfect Pan Seared Scallops are a quick dinner ready in 10-minutes!
- Oven Baked Salmon with Mustard Dill Sauce is an easy and elegant dinner
- Steamed Clams with White Wine are ready in less than 30-minutes
- Our Garlic Shrimp with Roasted Tomatoes over linguine is super simple!
Cioppino Seafood Stew
Ingredients
SAUCE:
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup butter
- 1 cup yellow onion, medium dice
- ½ cup celery, diced
- ½ cup carrot, chopped
- ½ cup green or red bell pepper, diced, or a combo of both, OPTIONAL
- ½ cup fennel, diced, OPTIONAL
- 1 leek, diced
- 28 oz can crushed tomatoes, do not drain, such as San Marzano
- 1 Tbsp tomato paste
- 2 cups water
- 1 Tbsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp dried basil
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- 3 bay leaves
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
Seafood:
- 8 clams
- 8 mussels
- 1 cup dry white wine, divided, such as Sauvignon Blanc
- 8 large scallops, muscle removed
- 8 large prawns or shrimp
- 1 lb firm fish, cut into 1" chunks, recommended: halibut, swordfish, seabass, salmon, *see note
- 2 large crab legs, optional
- 4 oz crabmeat
- 1-2 Tbsp flour
- ¼ cup butter
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 4 tsp minced garlic, freshly chopped, divided
- 2 Tbsp fresh parsley, roughly chopped
Instructions
Prepare Sauce:
- In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, add olive oil and butter. Once sizzling, add onions and celery and saute for 1 minute until softened but not browned. Add carrots, leeks, bell pepper and fennel and continue sauteeing for about 5 minutes, stirring often.
- Add tomatoes, tomato paste, water and all remaining herbs (salt through cayenne). Stir to combine. Simmer on low, stirring occasionally for about 3 hours, until thickened and reduced.
Prepare Seafood:
- Once the sauce is almost ready, prepare the seafood.
- Scrub the mussels and clams.Place in a large saucepan and add ½ cup of water, ½ cup of white wine, and 1 teaspoon chopped garlic. Steam on medium-high heat, uncovered, for about 5 minutes until the shells open. Discard any shells that do not open. Set aside the steamed shells. Do not discard the water.
- Pat dry scallops, prawns/shrimp, fish pieces, and crab legs and place in a shallow bowl. Dust with flour (you may not need entire 2 tablespoons), and shake off excess.
- In a large saute pan (6-quart) over high heat, add olive oil and butter. When sizzling add the remaining 3 teaspoons of garlic and saute for 10-20 seconds, stirring constantly, until aromatic. Add each fish separately and sauté for about 2 minutes Remove each fish after sautéeing and set aside in a shallow bowl. Add the remaining ½ cup of wine to the pan and cook for 2 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pan to deglaze.
- Add the sauce, sautéed fish, prawns/shrimp, crab legs, clams, mussels, and their cooking liquid, and crab meat to the pan.Stir to combine, and cover. Cook over low heat for about 5 minutes until heated through.Uncover and pour into serving shallow serving bowls. Distribute clams, mussels, and crab legs on top. Sprinkle with parsley.Serve with crusty garlic bread on the side.
Notes
- Make sauce, let cool, then refrigerate for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 3 months without the fish added. When ready to use, reheat the sauce and then continue by preparing the fish
- This sauce is easily doubled
Nutrition
Whenever I am missing a day at the beach I love to sauté up some Steamed Clams with Garlic Butter and Wine. Make sure you serve them with a fresh baguette or a side of garlic bread for dipping in the delicious sauce. I like to pair this dish with a chilled medium-bodied Chardonnay. You can almost hear the waves crashing on the beach!
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What are the best clams for steaming?
Steamers, Cherrystones, and Littlenecks are the best clams for steaming and can easily be found at your local grocery store.
What are the differences between these types of clams?
- Steamers – Have an elongated shape to their hinged shell-like mussels. A steamer, sometimes called “soft-shelled clams”, has a pair of thin white shells, they also have a siphon that juts out of their shell. Each pound will have about 10-12 clams.
- Cherrystones – Are a hard shell clam that is round in shape. They are about 2 to 3 inches in diameter and you will get an average of 3 to 5 clams per pound.
- Littlenecks – These are the smallest of the hard shell clams and known for having the sweetest flavor. They measure about 1 to 2 inches in diameter and you will get an average of 10 to 12 clams per pound. These are the type we use, and what is in the pictures.
How to prepare clams for steaming
Steaming clams is a quick and easy process. They are easy to prepare and cook, and they are wonderful to serve for a crowd!
To prepare the clams for cooking, soak the clams for 20 minutes in fresh water. The fresh water will help filter the clams, pushing out the saltwater and sand from their shells. It will take the full 20 minute for the clams to clean themselves of salt and sand.
After 20 minutes rinse off the clam and they are ready to cook!
What is the best way to Steam Clams for serving
Our favorite way to steam clams is to begin with garlic, butter, lemon, and wine. This recipe gives you can amazing delicious sauce to serve with your clams. It is a tasty addition for dipping French Bread or pouring over linguine pasta.
It only takes 8-10 minutes to steam clams, so let’s get started.
- Heat a large heavy saute pan on medium heat
- Melt half of the butter (3 tablespoons)
- Add in the fresh minced garlic and let cook about 30-40 seconds, until the garlic smells fragrant.
- Add the Chardonnay and fresh-squeezed lemon juice. Bring to a boil.
- I prefer to use a buttery Chardonnay wine because it makes a richer sauce.
Ingredients for Steamed Clams 
Steamed Clams with lemon and parsley
- Once you bring the sauce to a boil add the clams and remaining butter, cover with a lid, and cook for about 8 to 10 minutes. Until clams open evenly.
- While clams are cooking finely chop the fresh Italian parsley.
- Set aside to add as a garnish later.
- Prior to serving your Steamed Clams, discard any clams that have not opened, then sprinkle with the chopped Italian parsley. Transfer clams and sauce to a large wide serving bowl, or serve directly from the sauté pan.
- Don’t forget the side of French bread or garlic bread to dip in the sauce!
- I also like to serve these clams on top of linguine.
What pairs well with Steamed Clams
These are a few of our favorite dishes that will go well with steamed clams.
Suggestions for Wine Pairings:
When wine is included in the recipe you can never go wrong pairing the wine you used for the dish. Chardonnay is my go-to favorite. Beyond that look for a medium-bodied white wine. Because Champagne is “always a good choice” you could go with a sparkling Blanc de Blanc.
Your weekday wines: A simple buttery Chardonnay that can be found in the grocery store.
- Select a nice medium-bodied Chardonnay like Acacia or La Crema
Your weekend wines:
- Lloyd Chardonnay, Carneros
- Nickel and Nickel, Carneros
A Special Occasion Wines:
- Kistler Chardonnay
- Peter Michael Chardonnay
- Dom Perignon Champagne
More great seafood recipes to try:
- Seared Halibut with Lemon caper sauce
- Perfect Pan Seared Scallops
- Grilled Salmon on a cedar plank
- Cioppino Seafood Stew
Looking for the perfect pan for clams? This is the pan I used to make mine. I highly recommend it for so many uses: All-Clad Saute Pan
I made these amazing clams during our fun weekend at Capitola Art and Wine Festival. Read all about it here.
Steamed Clams with Garlic Butter and Wine
Equipment
- Large heavy-duty saute pan
Ingredients
- 3 pounds Littleneck clams
- 6 Tablespoons salted butter, divided
- 1 Tablespoons garlic, finely minced
- 1 cup Chardonnay, Choose a buttery Chardonnay for rich sauce
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- 2 Tablespoons Italian parsley, finely chopped
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges, for garnish
Instructions
- In a large heavy saute pan melt 3 tablespoons of the butter Add garlic and saute for 30-40 seconds until the garlic smells fragrantAdd wine and lemon juice and bring to a boilAdd clams and the remaining butter. Cover with lidSteam for about 8 minutes. Check to make sure your clams have opened.
- Remove from heat and remove any unopened clamsSprinkle with 1 tablespoon of parsleyTransfer to a large bowl or serve in the saute pan Serve with lemon wedges and extra 1 tablespoon of parsley on the side