Easy Cioppino Soup

The seafood stew of your dreams, this Easy Cioppino Soup is comfort food in a bowl! It is loaded with seafood cooked up simply in a tomato-based broth. It’s easy enough to serve on a weeknight and one you’ll impress with on the weekends. It really is so incredibly delicious! It is, of course, gluten-free, and Paleo and Whole30 friendly.

Easy Cioppino Soup

There is something about enjoying seafood as the days of summer come to a close! I think it has to do with the warm weather, and the connection between the summer and the beach and the ability to enjoy all the beautiful seafood the ocean has to offer! This recipe for Cioppino Stew is the perfect vessel for enjoying summertime seafood, and it’s been beloved in my house for a few years no matter the season! This stew is made up of tons of different seafood cooked up together in a tomato-based broth. I add-in some non-traditional ingredients to my family’s version that I highly recommend, but the truth is, this gluten-free stew is pretty customizable!

But first, what is Cioppino?

Cioppino soup or stew is a tomato-based fisherman’s stew made with a variety of seafood. While many different cultures have a version of fisherman’s stew by a different name, Cioppino is the Italian version. My version is a nod to that one, but simplified it in terms of the ingredients and the process to make it easy for a weeknight!

Ingredients Needed for this Cioppino Recipe

• Seafood: Fish, Mussels, Shrimp, Scallops
• Chorizo Sausage (optional)
• Onion
• Fresh Garlic
• Tomato Paste
• Diced tomatoes
• Stock
• Lemon Juice
• Herbs + Spices

Substitutions

Truly, you can’t go wrong with what seafood you want to add in here! The only thing to keep an eye out for is making sure you aren’t adding anything that needs a drastically different cooking time than the rest of the seafood, since it’s cooked all together.

I love adding chorizo here, and it’s what my family has always done because we love the flavor! If you want to omit the sausage, that is fine to do, too.

We recommend stock here, but feel free to add in a splash of wine for a more traditional feel for this recipe!

How to Make this Cioppino Recipe

Aside from the taste, the best part about this recipe is that it’s truly simple to make! I think a lot of people get intimidated when cooking seafood, but it isn’t hard at all.

You do however want to pay attention to making sure the seafood is properly prepped before using!

If you have a fishmonger, it’s definitely a great place to start. You can let them know what you plan to make, and they’ll make sure your seafood is properly prepped!

For shrimp, you want it to be shelled and deveined before use. You can leave the tail on or off.

Fish should have the skin and any bones removed before cooking.

Scallops should simply be rinsed under cool water and dried, before use.

Clams or mussels should be thoroughly washed before use. Inspect them to make sure there are no open shells or any mussels with damaged or broken shells. If you find any, be sure to discard them, as it means they probably have died. Then, run water over the mussel in a colander, and scrub off any debris you find on the shells. Most mussels are “debearded” when purchased, but if you find any pesky ones hanging on, you can just yank them off with your finger or a knife.

Once your seafood is cleaned, it’s time to make the quick tomato broth! Start by cooking the chorizo, if using. Then add in the onion and garlic until they are beginning to soften. Next in the diced tomato and tomato paste, along with the stock and the seasoning. Bring it all up to a boil, and then reduce the heat and simmer it until it’s slightly thickened.

Now comes the fun part: time to add in the seafood! Add in the fish, scallops, shrimp and clams or mussels, in that order. Adding it in that order ensures they all cook properly. Cover the seafood and let it steam until the fish is opaque and the mussels are opened. Don’t forget to discard any mussels or clams that have not opened up.

Finally, stir in some fresh herbs and taste and adjust seasoning!

How to Serve Cioppino Soup

This stew is amazing all on its own, or you can serve it with a big crusty piece of bread, which is pretty traditional for this stew! It’s also nice served with a big side salad!

Watch the video here:

If you like this seafood recipe, check out these others:

• Cajun Blackened Fish
• Healthy Coconut Shrimp
• 3-Ingredient Dijon Salmon (In 10 Minutes!)
• Sheet Pan Cod with Vegetables in Lemon Herb Sauce

Easy Cioppino Stew

4.67 from 3 votes

The seafood stew of your dreams, this Easy Cioppino Soup is comfort food in a bowl! This soup is loaded with seafood cooked up simply in a tomato-based broth. It's simple enough to serve on a weeknight and so incredibly delicious! It's, of course, gluten-free, and Paleo and Whole30 friendly.

Servings 4

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

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Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 chorizo sausages casing removed (optional)
• 1 onion sliced thin
• 2 garlic cloves minced 
• 1 6 ounce can tomato paste 
• 1 28 oz. can organic diced tomatoes
• 2 cups seafood or chicken stock
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning
• Pinch red pepper flakes
• 1-½ teaspoons fine sea salt
• 1/2 lb. fresh fish cod or halibut, cut into 2” pieces
• ½ lb. fresh bay scallops
• 1 lb. shrimp peeled and deveined (tails optional)
• ½ mussels or clams scrubbed
• 1 tablespoon fresh basil
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley
• Freshly cracked pepper to taste

Instructions

• Heat oil in a large dutch oven (or stock pot) over medium heat. Add chorizo, if using, and cook until no pink remains. Add in onion and garlic, and continue to cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes or until the onions are beginning to soften.
• Add in the tomato paste, diced tomato, chicken stock, lemon juice, italian seasoning, pinch of red pepper flakes and salt and bring up to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the stew is slightly thickened.
• Add in fish, scallops, shrimp and clams, in that order. Cover and cook until fish is opaque and the mussels are opened, about 10 minutes. Discard any mussels that have not opened up.
• Gently stir in fresh basil, parsley, black pepper and taste and adjust seasoning.
• Serve hot!

Notes

1. Feel free to swap seafood with what you have on hand.
2. This recipe was originally published in 2014, and republished with new photographs and streamlined instructions in 2020.

Tips for cleaning seafood:

If you have a fishmonger, it's definitely a great place to start. You can let them know what you plan to make, and they'll make sure you seafood is properly prepped!

• For shrimp you want it to be shelled and deveined before use. You can either leave the tail on or off.
• Fish should have the skin and any bones removed before using.
• Scallops should simply be rinsed under cool water and dried, before use.
• Clams or mussels should be thoroughly washed before use. Inspect them to make sure there are no open shells or any mussels with damaged or broken shells. If you find any discard them, it means they probably have died. Then, run water over them in a colander, and scrub off any debris you find on the shells. Most mussels are "debearded" when purchased, but if you find any pesky ones hanging on, you can just yank them off with your finger or a knife.

Nutrition

Serving: 1bowlCalories: 271kcalCarbohydrates: 12gProtein: 43gFat: 6.5gSaturated Fat: 1.2gCholesterol: 197mgSodium: 950mgFiber: 2.8gSugar: 6.6g

Course: Dinner

Author: Lexi Davidson

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