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Cioppino recipe – A wonderful Italian fish stew!

By Elaine Mellen

Posted on January 21, 2015

My husband first ordered Cioppino many years ago in a restaurant, and ever since I had a taste I’ve been hooked. I started making this delightful Italian fish stew for my family shortly thereafter, perfecting the dish into this wonderful Cioppino recipe.

I make Cioppino with a thicker sauce than is traditional, to serve over pasta. I mean, who doesn’t love pasta? I also recommend serving it with fresh crusty bread and a side salad.

What makes this Cioppino recipe so approachable is that it’s a one pot meal, everything goes into one large pot. I love one pot meals for their ease to make and how seamless the flavors all combine to make something delicious. Many other nationalities have similar fish stews, but Italian fish stew, Cioppino, is my favorite.

Cioppino

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

2 shallots, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

1 bay leaf, crushed

1 can (28 oz) tomatoes with juice, chopped OR 2 cans (14 oz) chopped tomatoes with juice

3/4 cup dry white wine

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 pounds mussels, scrubbed and debearded

2 pounds clams, scrubbed

1 pound shrimp, peeled

1 pound sea scallops

1 pound scrod or other white fish

Directions:

Heat oil in large, double boiler pan. Add onion, shallots, and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes.

Add seasonings, tomatoes, wine, and tomato paste. Simmer for 30 minutes so flavors will blend.

Add mussels and clams, cover, and cook for 5 minutes until they open. Discard any that don’t open.

Add remaining shrimp, scallops, and scrod. Gently stir the stew, cover, and cook for 5 minutes until all the fish is cooked.

Serve over 1 pound of pasta.

To make this dish really nice, serve with fresh made pasta. You can add any variety of shell fish and fish to this dish, depending on what is available at the market. If you like calamari, add it to the stew in place of scallops or white fish.