Name: Seafood Cioppino Recipe
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 1/4 cup olive oil; 1 bulb fennel, diced small; 2 shallots, minced; 4 cloves garlic, minced; 1 teaspoon dried oregano; 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (more or less to taste); 2 bay leaves; 1/2 teaspoon salt + more for soaking clams and mussels.; 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper; 1 cup dry Pino Grigio wine; 1 8oz bottle clam juice; 1 pound shrimp, tail on and peeled; 1 dozen little neck clams, scrubbed and soaked; 1 dozen mussels, scrubbed and soaked; 1 fillet cod; 1 pound cooked stone crab claws; 1 28oz can crushed tomatoes; 2 cups water; crusty bread, for serving; flatleaf parsley, chopped; lemon wedges

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This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Vons. All opinions are 100% mine.

If I had to chose a favorite meal, to eat again and again, it would be Cioppino. Italian Seafood Stew stuffed with shell fish in a savory tomato broth with plenty of crusty bread for dipping. This stew is fabulous.

Italian Cioppino Seafood Stew Recipe

John and I have one very important thing in common and that is our undying love for seafood. On special occasions like a date night in, New Year’s Eve or Valentine’s Day dinner we always make Cioppino. I love that it’s simple to make (yes it truly is) and the seafood that is involved can vary based on what is available!

This Italian Fisherman Seafood Stew is a classic dish that anyone can learn to make! It’s one of the most impressive meals you can serve, hello beautiful seafood, but takes very little time and doesn’t require any fancy kitchen skills. If you are cooking for someone you love this Valentine’s Day, here’s your recipe!

I find all of the fresh seafood for our Cioppino at our local Vons, no trips to a specialty foods store needed! In fact, Vons is really our go-to for all of our groceries, meat, seafood and fresh produce. Vons has everything you need to make a delicious Valentine’s Day meal from beautiful flowers and baked treats to fresh meat, seafood and produce.

If you are short on time or just want to skip in-store shopping, Vons also offers Grocery Delivery and DriveUp & Go™ which is super convenient and you never have to get out of your car.

Ingredients in Cioppino:

Fennel – this gives cioppino it’s signature flavor!
Shallots – more mild than onion but still full of flavor.
Garlic – fresh minced garlic cloves.
Oregano – I used dried oregano.
Red Pepper Flakes – this is optional but I love the spicy kick.
Bay Leaves – for added flavor.
White Wine – a must have in the broth of this soup.
Clam Juice – a great shortcut if you aren’t making seafood stock!
Shrimp – raw and tail on.
Clams – a dozen little neck clams.
Mussels – another great shellfish to add to this stew.
Fish – you can use any fish you like but we love adding a piece of cod.
Crab – pre cooked stone crab claws from Vons are actually very affordable and such a treat!
Tomato – a large can of crushed tomatoes.
Water – to stretch the broth.

How to Make Cioppino

In a large pot begin by sautéing shallot and fennel in a good amount of olive oil until the fennel begins to soften.
Add in garlic, oregano, red pepper and bay leaves and sautée briefly.
Slowly add in the white wine to deglaze the pot and simmer to cook off the alcohol.
Add in Clam Juice, crushed tomatoes and water and bring back to a simmer. Cook for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile soak clams and mussels in cold water and rinse shrimp.
Add clams to the pot, cover and steam for 5-6 minutes. Carefully open and discard any clams that did not open.
Add in shrimp, mussels, cod and crab claws. Cover and cook an additional 6 minutes.
Serve hot with crusty bread and freshly chopped parsley.

The base of this Cioppino is so simple but really delicious and flavorful and made even tastier when the shellfish all opens and releases their flavors into the broth. This dish is mean to be eaten by hand and with a spoon so it’s very much like a pot of steamer clams and mussels but with a soup base you will want to soak up with bread.

What Seafood is in Cioppino?

Cioppino was traditionally made from the catch of the day, whatever the fishermen brought in. Everything went into the pot but the base remained the same. Vons has a great selection in their seafood case of fresh fish and shellfish so we love choosing whatever looks best!

Meaty Fish – any firm fish fillet will do! I have used Cod, Salmon and Halibut and all work well.
Mussels
Clams
Crab – claws or even snow crab legs.
Squid or Calamari
Scallops

Best Wine for Making Cioppino

The best tip for cooking with wine, in any dish, is to never cook with a wine you wouldn’t drink! The flavor becomes more intense in this dish and you want a delicious dry white for the broth. Pino Grigio is my pick and we like to use Robert Mondavi. I can always find an already chilled bottle at Vons so it’s ready to add to the soup and drink!

How to Prep Shellfish for Cooking

The one step you do not want to skip with cooking shell fish like mussels and clams is pre-soaking them. This process is simple but helps de-grit your clams and mussels so that you aren’t biting down on spoonful of sand in your cioppino!

To a large bowl of cold water, add a couple tablespoons of salt and stir to dissolve (it won’t be completely dissolved.) Add the shellfish and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Remove the clams and mussels from the salty water and rinse in cold water before adding to the cioppino to cook.

Tips for the Best Cioppino

Soak your shellfish. This step is so important to ensure you have zero grit in your stew.
Chop small. This means, make sure the fennel and shallot are small diced and that the garlic is minced so that it cooks down nicely. You do not want large chunks of these ingredients in the base of your cioppino.
Buy what you love! This dish is so open to interpretation. Buy whatever fresh seafood you love and this dish will be even more delicious and unique.
Use good wine. I’ll say it again for the people in the back…do not use cheap-o wine for cooking! You only need one cup for this dish so buy a bottle you are excited to drink with dinner.
Serve with crusty bread. This dish needs bread to soak up that rich and decadent broth!

I hope you will try this easy and delicious Cioppino for your Valentine’s Day dinner and then come back and let me know how it turned out! Make sure to have plenty of napkins, extra bowls for the shells, seafood forks and possibly even crab claw crackers on hand so that everyone can dig in.

More Seafood Recipes to Try

Celebrate Valentine’s Day by shopping at Vons. However you are planning to celebrate this year, they’ve got you covered. Find everything you need from beautiful flowers and chocolate covered strawberries to fresh meat, seafood and produce offerings to create a delicious, romantic meal for the ones you love.

I shopped at Vons in my local area, but you can also find quality Valentine’s Day meal essentials at the Albertsons Companies family of stores, including Albertsons, Safeway, ACME Markets, Jewel-Osco, Randalls, Shaw’s Supermarket, Star Market, and Tom Thumb.