Authentic Cioppino Recipe | Best Wine Pairing for Seafood Stew (San Francisco Classic)

Start with seafood: cod, scallops, clams, mussels, and shrimp.

Make fresh fish stock using a fish head, thyme, bay leaves, leeks, onions, carrots, celery, white wine, clam juice, and water.

Shell the shrimp and add the shells to the stock.

Sauté celery, carrots, onions, and leeks in olive oil until onions are translucent.

Add clam juice, white wine, bay leaves, thyme, shrimp shells, and fish head to the sautéed vegetables.

Season with salt and black pepper, bring to a simmer, and cook for about an hour.

Strain the fish stock into a pot and set aside.

Sauté olive oil with celery, fennel, and onion until translucent, then add garlic, black peppercorns, crushed red pepper, bay leaves, parsley, and oregano.

Add white wine to the pot and reduce by about a third.

Crush Cento whole peeled tomatoes by hand and add to the pot.

Season with salt and black pepper, simmer for about an hour and a half, then strain solids out to have the Cioppino base.

Cut cod into chunks and season with salt to firm it up.

Salt the shrimp and remove the muscle from the side of the scallops.

Rinse clams and mussels, ensuring they are alive and free of beards.

Heat a sauté pan with olive oil and add garlic, cooking slowly to avoid burning.

Add crushed red pepper, then clams, and splash with wine to reduce.

Add mussels and some of the Cioppino sauce, then gently place the fish in without moving it.

Cover with a lid for about a minute, then add scallops and shrimp.

Finish with fresh parsley and basil.

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Dietary