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Cioppino ❤️ Also called Fisherman’s Stew that comes from San Francisco, California. This soup is a seafood lovers’ dream!
If you loved this recipe, check out my Bouillabaisse recipe!
Why You’ll Love Cioppino
This soup is extremely tasty and the flavors are epic! It’s spicy, hearty and delicious. The saffron enhances the flavor of the soup even more, it adds a rich taste to it. It is super versatile, It’s the perfect fall soup, because it’s so cozy and comforting.
How To Prepare Cioppino
🦐 First, preheat a Cassadou pan with a bit of olive oil. Then, add in shrimp shells and peppercorn. Deglaze with white wine. Add in the veggies, salt, water and simmer. Cook covered for 30-45 minutes and strain.
🥓 Secondly, preheat your dutch oven on medium for 2 minutes. Then, add in some olive oil and pancetta. Sauté for 5 minutes on medium low, mixing often.
🧅 Add in onion and shallots. Then, sauté for 5 minutes.
🍅 Add in tomato paste, Calabrian chili paste, saffron, fennel and garlic. Drizzle a bit of olive oil. Then, cook on medium for 4-5 minutes. Add white wine.
🐟 Add in crushed tomatoes, seafood stock and halibut skin. Then, simmer, lower heat and cook covered for 30 minutes.
🧈 Spread the butter onto the bread with garlic, salt and oregano. Then, bake at 350F for 10-15 minutes.
🍣 Preheat your everyday pan and sear your salmon, skin side down to crisp up until desired temperature. Then, give the scallops, shrimp and halibut a hard sear.
🌿 Add in tarragon and butter to the sauce and the mussels. Cover until they open. Remove halibut skin.
🐠 Lastly, arrange seafood onto the bowls with the sauce, add black pepper, chives and bread.
Substitutions and Variations
- You can swap any of the seafood in this recipe for your favorites. It’s very versatile.
- Herbs are always very easy to swap and use whichever ones you have on hand.
- If you aren’t a huge fan of spicy, you can adjust the amount of Calabrian chili paste to your desired level of heat.
- You can use Guanciale or bacon instead of pancetta.
- You can use any bread of choice instead of ciabatta.
Chef Nadia’s Tip
Make sure to sear the seafood separately so they don’t overcook as they have different cook times. I know it takes more work, but it’s worth it… trust me!
Similar Recipes
Common Questions
Yes absolutely! You can swap for any of your favorites. That’s one of my favorite things about this recipe, so versatile.
You can use Guanciale or bacon.
Yes of course! You can use your bread of choice.
Cioppino
Equipment
- Cassadou pan
- fine mesh strainer
- large bowl
- dutch oven
- pan
- baking sheet
Ingredients
Seafood Stock
- tails from shrimp
- 2 tbsp black peppercorns
- ½ cup white wine
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 celery ribs, chopped
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 2 bay leaves
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 8 cups water
Cioppino Base
- 4 oz pancetta, diced
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 onion, minced
- 2 shallots, minced
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tbsp calabrian chili paste
- ½ tsp saffron
- 1 fennel bulb, shaved
- 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1 cup white wine
- 28 oz roasted tomatoes, crushed
- reserved halibut skin
- 1 tbsp tarragon
- 2 tbsp butter
Garlic Oregano Bread
- 8 slices ciabatta
- 8 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- pinch of salt
Seafood & Garnish
- 12 oz skin-on salmon
- 8 scallops
- 1 lb shrimp
- 12 oz skin-on halibut, skin removed and reserved
- 1 lb black mussels, washed and debearded
- black pepper, to taste
- chives, chopped
Instructions
- Make the Seafood Stock: Preheat a cassadou pan with olive oil. Add shrimp shells and peppercorns. Deglaze with ½ cup white wine. Add onion, celery, carrots, bay leaves, salt and pepper, and water. Simmer covered for 45 minutes. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a large bowl, discard the solids and reserve the liquid.2 tbsp black peppercorns, ½ cup white wine, 1 onion, 2 celery ribs, 2 carrots, 2 bay leaves, salt and pepper, 8 cups water, tails from shrimp
- Build the Base: Preheat a dutch oven on medium heat for 2 minutes. Add olive oil and pancetta. Sauté on medium-low for 5 minutes. Add minced onion and shallots. Sauté for 5 minutes.4 oz pancetta, 1 tsp olive oil, 1 onion, 2 shallots
- Sauté: Add tomato paste, Calabrian chili paste, saffron, fennel, and garlic. Drizzle with olive oil. Cook on medium for 5 minutes. Pour in 1 cup white wine to deglaze.2 tbsp tomato paste, 2 tbsp calabrian chili paste, ½ tsp saffron, 1 fennel bulb, 4 garlic cloves, 1 cup white wine
- Simmer the Broth: Add crushed tomatoes, prepared seafood stock, and reserved halibut skin. Lower heat and simmer covered for 30 minutes.28 oz roasted tomatoes, reserved halibut skin
- Prepare Garlic Bread: Combine 8 tbsp butter, garlic powder, oregano, and salt. Spread onto ciabatta slices. Bake at 350°F (177°C) for 10-15 minutes until golden.8 slices ciabatta, 8 tbsp unsalted butter, ½ tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp dried oregano, pinch of salt
- Cook the Seafood: Preheat a pan on medium-high heat with olive oil. Sear salmon skin-side down until crispy, flip, and continue cooking until the internal temperature reaches 145°F (63°C). Sear scallops, shrimp, and halibut pieces for 1-2 minutes per side until golden and opaque.12 oz skin-on salmon, 8 scallops, 1 lb shrimp, 12 oz skin-on halibut
- Finish the Stew: Add tarragon, 2 tbsp butter, and mussels to the dutch oven. Cover and cook until mussels open. Discard halibut skin and any unopened mussels.1 tbsp tarragon, 2 tbsp butter, 1 lb black mussels
- Assemble: Divide seafood into bowls. Ladle sauce over the top. Garnish with black pepper and chives. Serve with garlic oregano bread.chives, black pepper
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
One of the best things I have ever made! Seriously. So delicious! My guests couldn’t stop raving about it! Definitely a keeper for special occasions. 🙌🏻
Thank you so much Mariana! ♥️ This one is so delicious!
I am making this for Christmas Eve! Wondering how long to cook the seafood – just a hard sear or longer? Also clarifying the mussels, butter and tarragon go into the tomato broth and not in the sear pan. Thanks!
Hey Ali, I’m so sorry I didn’t see this in time for Christmas Eve! The seafood is a hard sear but then you fully cook it because you will be adding the sauce on top, not cooking it further. The mussels, butter and tarragon go in the tomato broth. I updated the recipe card so hopefully it expresses that better now. I hope you liked it!