February 12, 2021

Easy Cioppino Seafood Soup

Name: Easy Cioppino Seafood Soup
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 55 min
Total time: 85 min
Ingredients: ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil; 2 cups fennel bulb, diced; 1½ cups onion, diced ((yellow or sweet)); 1 tablespoon garlic, minced ((about 3 cloves)); ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes; 1 teaspoon dried fennel seeds; 1 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes ((San Marzano is best)); 4 cups seafood stock ((or vegetable/chicken if you can't find seafood)); 1½ cups dry white wine; 1 tablespoon kosher salt; 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; 1 pound cod fillet, cubed ((no skin)); 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined; ½ pound sea scallops, cut in half; 1 pound mussels ((gently scrub the outside)); ½ pound clams; 3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped; crusty baguette or bread, sliced ()

This Easy Cioppino Seafood Soup is quite a showstopper and it really is easy to make. Make this classic dish for a special occasion, dinner party, or just a wonderful meal at home. This soup is made with scallops, mussels, clams, cod, and shrimp, this soup is a seafood lover’s dream!

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seafood cioppino in a large dutch oven pot

Jump to Recipe

You are in for quite a treat when you make this Easy Cioppino Seafood Soup! Once you get all of your ingredients prepped and ready, all you have to do is wait for the flavors to cook together and you will have a delicious and hearty meal. Serve with fresh garlic bread and it will feel like you are dining in your favorite fancy restaurant.

What is Cioppino?

Cioppino is said to have been first created in San Francisco by an Italian fisherman (cioppino is also a common Italian dish) and is made from a tomato-based broth with wine combined with a variety of seafood. It is usually served with bread to soak up the delicious broth (Wikipedia).

Ingredients to Make Tomato Seafood Soup

From the pantry you will need some good olive oil, fennel seeds, crushed red pepper flakes, canned crushed tomatoes, seafood stock, white wine, salt, and pepper. Fresh vegetables and herbs include fennel, onion, garlic, and fresh parsley.

And, of course, you need some seafood! For this recipe, I used cod, shrimp, scallops, mussels, and clams. The great thing about making your own seafood soup is that you get to decide what seafood to use and how much of each one you want to put in.

a bowl of seafood cioppino with mussels, clams, shrimp, fish, and scallops served with bread

How to Make Cioppino

Heat the olive oil, add the diced fennel and onion and cook for about 10 minutes. Put in the garlic, red pepper flakes, and fennel seeds and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
Add the crushed tomatoes, wine, seafood stock, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 teaspoon black pepper and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
Add the seafood. Start with the cod, shrimp, and scallops. Finally, add the mussels and clams. Increase the heat until the soup is simmering and then lower the heat, cover and cook the seafood for 8-10 minutes.
Remove from the heat and allow the soup to rest for a few minutes before serving. Remove any mussels or clams that didn’t open up and discard them.

Serve Cioppino With Garlic Bread

Classic Cioppino is always served with bread, usually toasted garlic bread. It’s easy to make your own garlic butter that you can add to any bread. You can also purchase pre-made garlic bread.

And then if you want to go all out, you can make my No-Knead Rosemary Bread or my Dutch Oven Sourdough Bread for one more homemade touch. Just remember you need to plan in advance and make the dough the day before you make the soup.

How to Make Garlic Bread

This is the perfect task while the cioppino is cooking. Preheat the oven to 400° and prepare a baking sheet with a rack if you have one or you can place the bread directly on the oven rack. Slice the bread into even slices, about ½” thick.

Add 1/2 stick of butter, 2 cloves garlic (minced), and salt (if using unsalted butter) to a small bowl and mix everything with a spoon. Spread the butter on each piece of bread (depending on the size of your bread loaf, you may need more or less butter). Lay the slices on the prepared baking sheet (or carefully on the oven rack) and bake for 15 minutes, until brown and crispy. Remove from the oven and allow to cool while you finish the soup.

Tips On Making Seafood Soup

Gather and prep all of your ingredients before you start making this soup. I promise you will be a much happier camper and the process will be seamless.
Most seafood is frozen or partially frozen when purchased at the store so make sure it is fully thawed before adding to the soup otherwise you will have rubbery seafood. Eeek!
Add the seafood in the right order and then don’t stir it! They will cook in the broth but stay nice and firm and put together.
Don’t forget to add an empty bowl to your table for the discarded shells!!
Seafood stock can be found at high-end grocery stores, online or you can make your own if you are really feeling sassy.
Remove any mussels or clams that did not open when cooking in the broth. They need to be discarded because they are not good for eating.

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