Discover San Francisco's heritage with this easy-to-make Cioppino recipe, a flavorful seafood stew blending fresh fish, shellfish, and a rich tomato-fennel broth.
Heat 2 tablespoons of the extra virgin olive in a large pot over medium-high heat. Then add the onion, fennel, and half of the garlic to the pot and saute for a few minutes until soft.
Add the tomato sauce along with the bay leaf and scrap the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to loosen up any brown bits. Then bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Now, stir in the white wine and one cup of the fish stock while scraping the bottom of the pot once more to deglaze.
Add the diced fish and prawns to the pot. Then sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste and cook for 15 minutes over medium heat. Try to barely stir the stew from this point on.
In a separate saucepan, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Next, add the remaining garlic along with the shellfish and saute for 1 minute. Now, add two-thirds of the chopped parsley and 1 cup of the fish stock. Then simmer the shellfish for a few minutes until most of the shells open up. It’s important that you throw away any shells that do not open.
Add the cooked shellfish along with the cooking liquid in the pot to the tomato fish mixture in the other pot. If using, add the crab at this time. Then simmer everything together for 5 more minutes without stirring at moderate heat.
Taste the stew and season with salt and black pepper if needed. If it’s too salty you can add a bit more fish stock or water.
Now, garnish with fresh chopped parsley and serve immediately with some sourdough bread.