Some dishes always feel just a little bit more special than others. Cioppino, or Fisherman's Stew if you prefer, is a dish that for whatever reason always makes me feel like it's a special occasion. Simple, yet indulgent ingredients like fresh, quality seafood in a beautiful broth will always be tops in my book.
Cioppino and a bottle of wine
This is one of those recipes that demand vinyl to be played and dancing to commence in the kitchen while you cook. It's one of those recipes where you better be prepared to make it single-handedly because your other hand should have a fresh glass of wine chilling in it. I mean, the recipe calls for wine, so what else are you going to do with the rest of the bottle - just let it sit there? That's just plain wasteful. I generally like to make my Cioppino with a dry white wine such as Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Gris.
A little history for your palate
Cioppino's origins can be traced to early 1800s San Francisco history by Italian-American immigrants. Fishermen who were unsuccessful with their catch that day would walk around with a pot to other fishermen, asking them to chip in what they could. The collected sea fare became their Cioppino, a varied collection of whatever was caught that day made into a stew that night. Its roots are heavily Italian, but also share similarities with the Bouillabaisse of French cuisine.
A note for special diets
Made as directed, this Cioppino is grain-free, gluten-free, and friendly for Paleo, Keto, SIBO, and Low-FODMAP diets.
Traditionally, Cioppino is paired with a crusty baguette but we limit our grain at home and find that this soup is super filling on its own. If you aren't adverse to some extra carbs and starches in your diet and want to increase the heartiness of this stew in the winter months, cannellini, great white northern, or kidney beans make for a great grain-free addition.
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Cioppino (Fisherman's Stew)
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 6 large portions
- Category: Main Courses, Soups & Stews
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Some dishes always feel just a little bit more special than others. Cioppino, or Fisherman's Stew if you prefer, is a dish that for whatever reason always makes me feel like it's a special occasion. Simple, yet indulgent ingredients like fresh, quality seafood in a beautiful broth will always be tops in my book.
Ingredients
- ½ lb Italian sausage, ground
- 2 tbsp garlic oil (may sub 2 tbsp olive oil + 4 minced garlic cloves)
- 1 ½ cup fennel, finely diced
- 1 cup green onion, chopped
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 ½ cup dry white wine (I usually use a Sauvignon Blanc or a Pinot Gris)
- 1 (32oz) chicken broth
- 1 (14.5oz) can diced roasted tomatoes
- 2-3 teaspoon fish sauce
- ½ tsp cracked black pepper
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 bay leaf (optional)
- 8 oz firm white fish (cod, tilapia, halibut, haddock), diced into 1.5-inch cubes
- 1 lb mussels, washed, debearded, and set to chill in an ice bath
- 1 lb large prawns or shrimp, peeled, deveined, and tails removed
- ¾ cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
- ½ a lemon
Instructions
- In a large deep lidded saute pan over medium-high heat, brown ground sausage. Drain grease and set meat to the side in a separate bowl.
- In the same pan over medium heat, add garlic oil, fennel, and green onion. Saute until fragrant about 3-5 minutes.
- Turn heat up to medium-high. Add the tomato paste and cook another 3 minutes, stirring constantly. The paste should deepen in color significantly.
- Add the white wine and cook down by half. Scrape down the pan while this cooks down, so the delicious bits of fennel and onion do not burn.
- Add back the Italian sausage as well as the chicken stock, tomatoes, fish sauce, cracked pepper, red pepper flakes, and bay leaf. Stir to combine and bring to a simmer.
- Taste the broth and adjust fish sauce, if needed. Fish sauce is naturally very salty, so a little goes a long way. I generally add in ½ teaspoon increments, stir, and then taste when adding more.
- Add white fish and simmer for about 2 minutes, then add prawns. If the prawns are already fully-cooked you can add your mussels in immediately as the prawns will just need to come back to temperature and you don't want to overcook them. If your prawns are raw, cook around 2 minutes before you add the mussels to the pan. They should be turning slightly pink by the time the mussels hit the pan.
- Cover your pan with the lid and allow to cook for 4-5 minutes undisturbed, or until all the mussels have opened and the flesh looks plump and fully cooked. Your prawns should be fully pink and cooked through by this time as well. The lid on my saute pan is glass, which makes this much easier. If your lid is not glass, monitor your pot closely. You want the mussels to cook evenly, making the lid handy, but you don't want the pan to simmer over the side.
- Discard bay leaf. Stir parsley and squeeze the half lemon into the stew, then serve immediately. I usually discard any mussels that did not open as it's possible that the mussel was dead before it hit the pan, and therefore not a safe option to eat. It's common to have one or two in a large bunch that do not open, even from the freshest seafood purveyors. I know some people say that these can still be fine, but I never like to take the chance.
Notes
Nutritional information on Whip & Wander is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 portion
- Calories: 440
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 1407 mg
- Fat: 17 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Carbohydrates: 11 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 42 g
- Cholesterol: 59 mg
Katherine says
This looks delicious! I think we all could take a little something from it's history and start using more of what we have in the kitchen already. 🙂 Sometimes it can be a fun challenge to work with what you already have instead of buying more. I love that this stew has mussels in it, too!
Amy Dong says
OMG, you're speaking my language! I LOVE fishermen's stew. It's one of my faves to order at any seafood restaurant, and one of the dishes I used to make often for date nights 🙂
Leah says
Love Love Love the history of the dish!! I also can't wait to try it!! Pinned for later! Thank you
Rachel says
I swear to you, I was just reading a book and they were eating this soup! How fun that now I have found the recipe.
Marlynn | UrbanBlissLife says
This looks so good, my mouth is watering! I love that it's also low-carb! Totally guilt-free!
Annie Cho says
I've never had cioppino before, but it looks delicious. Love that it contains a variety of awesome seafood and is healthy too!
xoxo
Annie
Kelsey says
The origin of this recipe is fascinating! Looks great.
Ryann says
Saving this for a dinner soon! It looks so YUMMY and I'm always looking for new things to try- thank you for sharing!!
Catherine @ To & Fro Fam says
I never heard the origins of this beautiful dish! To my taste, it was always kind of fancy. I like that its beginnings were so humble.
Maya says
Oh this recipe and the gorgeous photos look so good! I've pinned because I can't miss this one! Thanks for the yummy share!
Carrie says
Gorgeous photos, this looks utterly delicious and full of flavor!
Amanda Martin says
This sounds heavenly and I agree - definitely "special occasion worthy." I always feel like seafood is special!
Also, now I want wine 🙂
Karyl Henry says
I had cioppino at Tadich Grill in San Francisco, and it was one of the best dishes I've ever had. I'm always afraid to try to recreate dishes like these...yours looks so delicious, and I'm kind of inspired to jump in and try it now! Saving this one for sure
Liz says
Ok I know my husband would love this! He likes any kind of seafood dish 🙂 Thanks for the recipe!
Stephanie@ApplesforCJ says
I've actually never heard of cioppino but it sounds like a great combination of flavors. And yes the wine would be a must in the other hand 🙂
Jillian says
Healthy & flavorful - my two favorite things!
Jessica Formicola says
I could sure go for a bowl of this today!
Dana says
This looks and sounds divine! It's been so rainy here this week and I'd love nothing more than to dive into a big bowl of this good stuff. So many warming flavors!
Kate says
This bowl looks absolutely divine right now! My hubs is doing keto and will be stoked to see this on the table!
Allison - Celebrating Sweets says
My husband LOVES cioppino! I haven't made it for years, I'll have to try this recipe. Thanks for sharing!