Ultimate Cioppino
A classic Italian-American seafood stew with fish, clams, mussels, crab, scallops, and shrimp, all cooked in a rich vegetable seafood broth.
Equipment
- 1 Large Stockpot
Ingredients
Sourdough Bread Croutons
- 1 loaf Sourdough Bread unsliced
- 1/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 4 tbsp Unsalted Butter melted
- 6 cloves Minced Garlic
- 1 tsp Lemon Zest one lemon
- 1 tsp Dried Thyme Use fresh if available, but triple the amount
- 1 tsp Kosher Salt
Cioppino
- 2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 tbsp Unsated Butter
- 1 Yellow Onion diced
- 1 Leek halved and diced
- 1 bulb Fennel quartered, cored and diced
- 4 ribs Celery thinly sliced on bias
- 2 Red Bell Peppers diced
- 3 Carrots peeled and diced
- 8 cloves Garlic minced
- Sea Salt & Black Pepper to taste
- 1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
- 2 cups Dry White Wine
- 3 Bay Leaves
- 1 jar Tomato Passata 24 oz.; could also use 3 cups tomato puree
- 1 can Diced Tomatoes 28 oz.
- 32 oz Seafood Stock* see note
- 2 tsp Sugar optional
- 1 tbsp Hot Sauce such as Cholula; optional
- 2 lb Red Snapper* chopped into bite-sized pieces; see note
- 1 lb Blue Crab Meat can; pasteurized
- 1 lb Lump King Crab can
- 2 lb Scallops
- 2 lb Raw Shimp peeled and deveined
- 30 Manilla Clams frozen
- 1 lb Mussels scrubbed
- 1 cup Cilantro finely chopped
- 2 tbsp Basil finely chopped
- 1 tbsp Oregano finely chopped
- 1 cup Parsley finely chopped; optional
- 1 tsp Fennel Pollen finely chopped; optional
Instructions
Sourdough Bread Croutons
- Cut the loaf in half horizontally. Then cut into 12-16 equal chunks. Place in large bowl.
- Mix oil, butter and garlic together in smaller bowl, Then add to bread, tossing to combine. I use my hands.
- Once bread is coated with garlicky oil mixture, throw the rest of the ingredients in, including thyme, salt and zest. Mix again thoroughly, and set aside until ready to cook.
Cioppino
- In a large pot, heat the olive oil and butter at medium heat. Then add the onion, fennel, leek, celery, bell pepper, and carrots. Cook until softened, 5-7 minutes.
- Add the Garlic, cooking for 1-2 minutes more. Then add the red pepper flakes, bay leaves, and season with salt and pepper.
- Add the white wine, allowing it to reduce for 2-4 minutes. Then add the seafood stock, tomato passata and diced tomatoes. Bring to a boil, and reduce to a simmer. Allow to cook for 10 minutes more. Add sugar and hot sauce (if desired).
Adding the Seafood
- First, add the mussels and clams to the pot. Cover pot with lid, and allow to cook for 3-5 minutes. Discard any mussels or clams that have not opened after that time.
- Next you will add the red snapper, covering and allowing to cook for 3-4 minutes more.
- Then, you will add the shrimp and scallops to the pot, cooking for another 3-4 minutes.
- Finally, you will add the crab meat, briefly allowing to heat through.
Finishing Touches
- Add the chopped herbs, briefly stirring to combine. This is the time to add any more salt or pepper, if needed.
- Serve topped with the fennel pollen (if desired) and a chunk of the sourdough crouton!
Recipe Notes
- *If you were unable to make or find seafood stock, chicken broth could be used in a pinch.
- *If you cannot find red snapper (or just want to cut back on cost), feel free to substitute with another fatty white fish, such as halibut or cod.
- This recipe serves a crowd (12-15 people). You could easily cut this recipe in half, with the same results. Saying that, this does freeze incredibly well!
- How to Freeze: Place in freezer safe container (preferably glass). Then cover soup with plastic wrap, attempting to lay as flat against soup as possible. Cover with lid, freeze and repeat. :)