San Francisco Cioppino

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Prep Time: 35 minutes
Cook Time: 155 minutes
Servings: 4

The ultimate ode to San Francisco, the seafood stew known as cioppino was first made by immigrant Italian fishermen. Our version includes crab legs—we like Dungeness crab, at its peak season in winter, or substitute whatever fresh crab is available. The best part? Soaking up all that sweet and spicy tomatoey broth with toasted sourdough bread. You can prepare the fish stock from scratch or buy a ready-made one to streamline prep. For homemade stock, ask the fishmonger for fish bones, heads and bodies, or purchase whole small fish and lobster tails. If using whole branzino and lobster tails, cut them into quarters before adding them to the stockpot; you may need 1 to 2 cups (8 to 16 fl. oz./250 to 500 ml) more water to cover all the ingredients.

Ingredients:

For the fish stock (optional):

  • 1/4 cup (2 fl. oz./60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil 
  • 1 large yellow onion, coarsely chopped 
  • 1 large carrot, coarsely chopped 
  • 1 large fennel bulb, coarsely chopped 
  • 3 celery stalks, coarsely chopped 
  • Kosher salt
  • 2 cups (16 fl. oz./500 ml) dry white wine 
  • 4 cups (32 fl. oz./1 l) chicken stock
  • 4 lb. (2 kg) fish bones, heads and bodies, or fish and shellfish
  • 3 star anise pods
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 tsp. peppercorns
  • 4 fresh thyme sprigs


For the cioppino:

  • 1/2 cup (4 fl. oz./125 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 large yellow onion, diced
  • 1 fennel bulb, trimmed, cored and sliced, fronds reserved for garnish
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tsp. fennel seeds
  • 1 tsp. red pepper flakes
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 4 cups (32 fl. oz./1 l) homemade or store-bought fish stock
  • 1 cup (8 fl. oz./250 ml) dry white wine
  • 1 can (28 oz./875 g) diced tomatoes with juices
  • 1/2 lb. (250 g) halibut or other flaky white fish, skin removed, flesh cut into 1-inch (2.5-cm) pieces
  • 1 lb. (500 g) mussels, scrubbed and debearded
  • 1 lb. (500 g) small clams, scrubbed
  • 1 lb. (500 g) fresh crab legs
  • 1/2 lb. (250 g) shrimp, unpeeled and tails intact
  • Fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves for garnish
  • Toasted sourdough bread for serving

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Directions:

To make the fish stock, in an 8-quart (8-l) stockpot over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil. Add the onion, carrot, fennel bulb and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and starting to brown, about 10 minutes. Season with a big pinch of salt.

Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the wine, stirring to scrape up the browned bits. Add the stock, fish bones, heads and bodies, star anise pods, bay leaves, peppercorns and thyme sprigs. Add enough water to cover the ingredients, about 2 cups (16 fl. oz./500 ml). Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a vigorous simmer for 1 minute. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, for about 2 hours.

Strain the stock through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl and skim off the fat, if desired. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt; the stock should be briny and pleasantly salty. The recipe makes about 6 cups (48 fl. oz./1.5 l) stock; you will need 4 cups (32 fl. oz./1 l) for the cioppino.

To make the cioppino, in a large, tall pot over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil. Add the onion and fennel bulb and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and starting to brown, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic, fennel seeds and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Season with salt.

Reduce the heat to medium-low and stir in the stock, wine and tomatoes with their juices. Increase the heat to medium and bring to a simmer, then simmer vigorously for 10 minutes. Add the halibut and cook until almost opaque, about 2 minutes. Add the mussels, clams, crab legs and shrimp. Cover and cook until the mussels and clams open, the crab legs are heated through and any visible meat is opaque, and the shrimp are opaque, 3 to 5 minutes. Discard any unopened mussels and clams. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.

Transfer the cioppino to individual bowls. Garnish with parsley leaves and the reserved fennel fronds. Serve immediately with toasted sourdough bread. Serves 4.

Williams Sonoma Test Kitchen

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