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!
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.
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 ½ 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 it 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 suitable for eating.
More Soup Recipes to Check Out
- Tomato and Orange Soup
- Thai Red Curry Noodle Soup
- Easy French Onion Soup
- Easy Ramen Noodle Recipe
- Instant Pot Frozen Beef Stew
Easy Cioppino Seafood Soup
Equipment
- large dutch oven or heavy pot
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
Instructions
- In a large pot, heat the olive oil and then 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, uncovered.
- Now it's time to add the seafood! This is the best order to add the seafood to be sure not to disturb the seafood once it's in the broth. Start with the cod, shrimp, and scallops. Finally, carefully add the mussels and clams and make sure they are covered in broth. Increase the heat until the soup is simmering and then lower the heat, cover and cook the seafood for 8-10 minutes (the mussels and clams will open up).
- Remove the pot 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 (they are no good). Serve in a large bowl with bread and sprinkle with fresh parsley. Enjoy!
Notes
- Nutrition facts are estimates for the soup only, it does not include the bread.
Nutrition
Any nutrition calculations are only estimates using online calculators. Please verify using your own data.
Did you Make This Easy Cioppino Seafood Soup?
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Rita Franklin says
This was awesome and a crowd-pleasing Good Friday dinner last night. I've made cioppino before but this recipe was the best I've used. I did sub halibut for the cod, and did half chicken broth, half clam juice--both subs done because I had those ingredients on hand. I'm still not entirely comfortable with using mussels and clams, so make sure you get them from a trusted fishmonger and know if they have been thoroughly purged. Mine were great--no sand in the soup! One of my guests is a real foodie, but had never cooked with fresh mollusks, so she was fascinated watching the process. She's now a convert to Emily's cioppino!
Emily says
Amazing, thanks, Rita! I'm so glad you had a successful dinner party and everyone loved your Cioppino!!😊
Kristy says
This is going to be my favorite soup, I love, love, all of the ingredients, big plus! You mentioned choosing your favorite seafood, I'd like to add crab legs? Instead of muscles and clams? Thank you!
Emily says
Hi Kristy, I'm so glad you are excited about this recipe, it's one of my favs! Crab legs sound amazing! If you are using uncooked legs, add them first as they will take a little longer to fully cook. Alternatively, you can add pre-cooked legs at the end and ensure they are heated through. Either way, I think you will have a winner, enjoy!
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Natalie says
This looks really delicious. I love seafood soups like this. They are always full of flavor and quite healthy. I will definitely save this on my list to try. Thanks!
Emily says
Thank you, Natalie, I think you are really going to like this one and it’s so, so easy!
Beth says
Yum! This looks so delicious and full of flavor! So excited to try this!
Emily says
Best, it is one of the best soups I've ever had! So. Much. Flavor. 🙌🏻
Aimee says
This soup looks incredible and it has so many of my favorite ingredients. I love how you gave the instructions for the garlic bread too because it's perfect to dip into this soup.
Emily says
There are few things in life that are better than garlic bread...LOL! It's a must-have with this soup 😁.
Catherine says
Oh my goodness this soup is beautiful and so comforting! The fresh fennel really brings out the flavors and ties it together perfectly. Alongside crusty bread, there is nothing better than this soup! Delish!
Emily says
Thanks, Catherine, I totally agree. Any soup with a piece of crusty bread and I am in. I wasn't sure if the fennel would overpower the soup but it really blends in so well.
Erika says
This seafood soup looks so good. I love the flavor combinations here! I can't wait to try it out.
Emily says
Thanks, Erika, you are really going to enjoy this soup.
Nathan says
This recipe looks absolutely fantastic! Love the variety of types of seafood in here, can't wait to give this a try, I'm sure it's just delicious!
Emily says
It's so good and I love that you can use any seafood you like. I hope you get a chance to make it soon!
Jessica Formicola says
I'm always looking for new soup recipes, and this seafood soup looks perfect! I can't wait to make it soon!
Emily says
You are going to love it, Jessica! It's so easy and so full of flavor!
Maevis says
Seafood lover here and I definitely NEED this Cioppino in my life!
Emily says
Yes!! This is the soup to make if you love seafood!!
ANGELA says
I love this recipe!! Thank you
Emily says
You are so welcome, Angela! Enjoy!