Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Food & Drink

How to Make Cioppino, the Italian-American Seafood Stew

Mark Stock
By

Cioppino is one of the most satisfying dishes to both make and eat that we can think of. The Italian-inspired seafood stew is very much informed by the catch of the day, meaning it’s fresh, rustic, and all kinds of tasty.

The dish is essentially an Americanized take on Italian cooking, with a very coastal influence at play. The name itself is borrowed from a similar soup out of Liguria. It was born in San Francisco in the late 19th century as immigrants from Genoa fished along the wharves of the bay. Legend has it, those with poor fishing luck would have their pot filled with whatever fellow fishermen were willing to share. The charitable extras ended up framing the cioppino. Think of it as a version of gumbo, plucked from Louisiana and set to the ingredients of California and the Pacific Northwest.

Related Videos

Related Reading

One recipe we’re especially fond of is that of Greg Higgins. The man behind Portland’s original farm-to-table restaurant, Higgins, offered his own tasty version along with a few tips on putting it together. “For me, cioppino is our West Coast version of the classic Mediterranean fishermen’s stews,” Higgins says.

Cioppino in a bowl.
Flickr/Amelia

How does he make it? For starters, the wider array of fish and shellfish you have at your disposal, the better. “You can always substitute or add more goodies to the pot,” he continues. “Prawns, calamari, oysters, cockles, perhaps even some gooseneck barnacles.” Higgins’ version utilizes citrus and sweet spices to elevate and bring out all of the brininess of the other ingredients. “Likely, it’ll take more time to assemble all the ingredients than actually cook the dish but once you do the rewards are obvious,” he says.

What does one serve with cioppino? As the main event, the dish doesn’t need much else. Higgins likes a generous green salad and a crusty loaf of bread for dipping. Oh, and a good bottle of wine. We suggest something like Albariño, Pinot Blanc,or moderately-oaked (if at all) Chardonnay. However, it can vary depending on the fish you’re using. If salmon is in the mix, a medium-bodied red like Pinot Noir. Which makes a lot of sense if you like to drink the kind of wine that’s grown where the dish you’re enjoying comes from.

For the cooking wine, Higgins suggests a fruity and robust Zinfandel to even out the intensity of the broth. And at home, he likes to add a kick with some fresh habanero from his garden (“a little habanero is good for everyone,” he says).

Higgins Cioppino

Ingredients:

  • 2.5 cups crushed San Marzano tomatoes
  • 2 cups red wine (Higgins likes Zinfandel)
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 4 tablespoons garlic, minced
  • 1 shallot, peeled and minced
  • 1 cup onion, diced (half-inch)
  • 1 teaspoon chili flakes
  • 1 teaspoon basil
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
  • 1 pound halibut, albacore, Chinook salmon or rockfish, diced (1-inch)
  • 1 pound Dungeness crab in shell, cleaned, cracked, and broken into sections
  • 1 pound hardshell clams, rinsed well
  • 1 pound mussels, de-bearded and rinsed well
  • 1 orange, zested
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 4 whole cloves
  • .5 cup celery leaves chopped
  • .5 cup Italian parsley leaves
  • salt and pepper
  • garlic bread

Method:

  1. In a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat, sauté the garlic & chili flakes in the olive oil, 2-3 minutes. Add the onions, shallot, basil, oregano, and fennel seeds, cook for 2-3 minutes till the onions are translucent.
  2. Add the red wine and tomatoes, bring to a simmer and reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer 20-25 minutes and season to taste with salt and pepper, remove from the heat.
  3. Layer the shellfish into a large saucepan and add the orange zest, cinnamon, cloves, and celery leaves. Pour the sauce over and top with the diced fish. Bring to a simmer and cover. Cook till the fish is just cooked and the clams and mussels are open.
  4. Garnish with the parsley leaves and serve with garlic bread and a wine of your choice.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
How to reheat tamales: Learn the secret to every method
Enjoy tamales just as much the second time around
Our Place tamales.

Tamales are one of the tastiest and most popular dishes for a night out on the town, complete with a few frosty margaritas. A traditional Mesoamerican dish, tamales are stuffed with meats or beans and cheese and wrapped in a banana leaf or a corn husk. Steamed and served with pico de gallo and rice, they make for a delightful dish that's easy to make and packed with flavor and spice.

Tamales are easy to prepare and a great option to make ahead of time and reheat for a quick meal on the go. Whether homemade or store-bought, there are a few tips you'll want to know when reheating them so that you can savor all the goodness these little flavor pouches have to offer. Whether you want to use a steamer, microwave, stove, oven, or air fryer, here are the best ways to make sure you get the perfect hot tamale.

Read more
Corned beef and cabbage: Learn how to make this St. Patrick’s Day classic
It isn't St. Patrick's Day without a cold pint and a big plate of corned beef and cabbage
best corned beef and cabbage recipe 2

As St. Patrick's Day rolls around again, many of us will dutifully trudge to the grocery store, pick up our corned beef from the bulk display, head home and boil that piece of meat to death in the name of 'tradition.' Many of us are guilty of going through the motions of culinary traditions without giving a second thought to whether or not they actually taste good (we're looking at you, fruitcake). But in the case of corned beef, this is a real travesty, because this is a dish that, when done properly, is exquisitely delicious. One so good, in fact, that, if we knew better, would be on a weekly rotation, and not just an annual one.

Many corned beef and cabbage recipes out there call for a braise, which makes sense. Corned beef is most often a brisket cut, which requires low and slow cooking to ensure a tender result. Too often, though, those braises turn out flabby, lifeless, flavorless pieces of meat that we only feel obligated to eat because St. Patrick told us to. Let's put an end to that here and now. This is how to cook corned beef and cabbage the right way.

Read more
Study: Which fast food restaurant gives you the worst bang for your buck?
Fast-casual restaurants: Where customers say they get the most value for their money
fast food and casual restarants with worst bang for buck burgers on grill

Whether we care to admit it or not, we all have our favorite fast-food restaurants. For all the bad rap they get, there's really just no comparing their convenience or ability to satisfy that insane, so-bad-it's-good, otherworldy craving for a greasy brown bagged burger and fries. Say what you will about the extra fat and calories, overly processed ingredients, and insane levels of sodium and cholesterol. At the end of the day, sometimes you've just got to give in and be bad.

And while we all have our favorites, from McDonald's to Jimmy John's, in a recent study, some fast-casual restaurants fared better than others when it came down to the best bang for your buck.

Read more