This Cioppino-style Seafood Stew takes everything people love about classic cioppino and turns it into a simple, approachable seafood stew recipe you can make at home without fuss. It's packed with bold, savory flavor while still feeling light and from-scratch.
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A Quick Look at the Recipe
✅ Recipe Name: Seafood Stew
🕒 Ready In: ~40 minutes
👪 Serves: 4-6 servings
🍽 Calories: ~420 per serving (estimated)
🥣 Main Ingredients: White fish, shrimp, bay scallops, littleneck clams, diced tomatoes, white wine, clam juice
📖 Dietary Info: Naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, protein-forward
👌 Difficulty: Easy - simmer the broth, add seafood in stages
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It has the signature taste of traditional cioppino but skips complicated steps and hard-to-find ingredients. The broth is rich and deeply flavorful thanks to white wine and clam juice, while cooking the seafood in stages keeps everything perfectly tender instead of overcooked.
If you enjoy cozy dinners like this, you'll also love our Crockpot Beef Tips and Gravy, Spaghetti Squash Casserole, or Mushroom Risotto. All are easy, comforting recipes that make weeknight meals feel special without a lot of extra work.
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Why You'll Love this Seafood Stew:
Quick and approachable: Delivers classic cioppino-style flavor without complicated steps or hard-to-find ingredients.
Rich but light: A tomato and white wine broth tastes deeply flavorful without cream or heaviness.
Perfectly cooked seafood: Adding the seafood in stages keeps the fish tender and the shrimp and scallops from overcooking.
Naturally gluten-free: Made with whole ingredients and no flour or dairy.
Impressive yet simple: Feels special enough for guests but easy enough for a weeknight dinner.
Key Ingredients:
- white fish. Use a firm, mild fish like cod, halibut, or snapper. These hold their shape well in the simmering broth without falling apart.
- shrimp. Large shrimp add sweetness and cook quickly at the end, staying tender and juicy when added last.
- littleneck clams. These give the stew its classic cioppino character and add natural briny flavor to the broth.
- diced tomatoes. Create the tomato-forward base that defines cioppino-style seafood stew.
- white wine. Adds depth and brightness to the broth as it simmers.
- clam juice. Intensifies the seafood flavor and gives the stew a rich, savory backbone.
Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this page for exact quantities.
Easy Substitutions & Variations:
- Swap the seafood: Use mussels instead of clams, or substitute one pound of the mixed seafood with crab, lobster, or calamari if you prefer.
- Change the fish: Any firm white fish works well, including haddock, sea bass, or grouper.
- Use frozen seafood: Frozen shrimp, scallops, and fish are fine, thaw completely and pat dry before adding to the stew.
- Adjust the heat: Increase the red pepper flakes for more spice or reduce them for a milder broth.
- Wine-free option: Replace the white wine with additional clam juice or seafood stock and a squeeze of lemon at the end.
How to Make Seafood Stew:
- Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the diced onion and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent. Add the minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds, just until fragrant.
- Pour in the white wine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Simmer for 2-3 minutes, allowing the wine to reduce slightly.
- Stir in the diced tomatoes, clam juice, dried thyme, paprika, and red pepper flakes. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer and cook uncovered for 10-15 minutes to allow the flavors to meld and the broth to deepen.
- Add the littleneck clams to the pot, cover, and cook for 5-7 minutes, or until the clams begin to open. Discard any clams that remain closed.
- Gently nestle the white fish into the simmering broth. Cover and cook for 3-4 minutes, until the fish is just beginning to turn opaque.
- Add the shrimp and bay scallops to the pot. Cook uncovered for 2-3 minutes, gently stirring once or twice, until the shrimp are pink and opaque and the scallops are tender.
- Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper as needed. Serve hot, spooning plenty of broth over the seafood. This cioppino-style seafood stew is best enjoyed right away.
Recipe Notes & Tips:
- Cook seafood in stages: Adding clams first, followed by fish, then shrimp and scallops ensures everything cooks evenly without becoming tough or rubbery.
- Do not boil: Keep the stew at a gentle simmer. Boiling can cause the seafood to overcook and become chewy.
- Scrub clams well: Rinse and scrub clams thoroughly before cooking, and discard any that are cracked or remain closed after cooking.
- Taste at the end: Clam juice can be salty, so wait until the stew is finished before adjusting the seasoning.
- Serving suggestions: Serve with Gluten-Free Focaccia or pair with Arugula Fig Salad for a balanced, weeknight-friendly meal.
How to Store:
Refrigerator: Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop over low heat until just warmed through, avoiding boiling to keep the seafood tender.
Freezer: Not recommended. Shrimp, scallops, and clams can become tough or grainy after freezing and reheating.
Best enjoyed fresh: For the best flavor and texture, this seafood stew is ideal when served shortly after cooking.
Seafood Stew FAQs:
This seafood stew is cioppino-style, meaning it's inspired by classic cioppino but slightly simplified for home cooking. Traditional cioppino is an Italian-American seafood stew made with a tomato and wine broth, clams, fish, and shellfish. This version follows the same cooking method and flavor profile while keeping the ingredient list approachable.
To prevent overcooking, seafood stew should be kept at a gentle simmer and the seafood added in stages. Clams go in first, followed by fish, with shrimp and scallops added last. This method ensures each type of seafood cooks just until tender without becoming rubbery.
The best seafood for a seafood stew or cioppino includes a mix of shellfish and tender fish. Littleneck clams add briny depth, while firm white fish, shrimp, and scallops provide variety in texture. Using multiple types of seafood creates a more flavorful, balanced cioppino-style stew.
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Seafood Stew
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 can diced tomatoes
- 1 cup white wine
- 1 jar clam juice
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 pound white fish, cubed
- 1 pound bay scallops
- 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 2 dozen little neck clams
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the diced onion and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent. Add the minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds, just until fragrant.
- Pour in the white wine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Simmer for 2-3 minutes, allowing the wine to reduce slightly.
- Stir in the diced tomatoes, clam juice, dried thyme, paprika, and red pepper flakes. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer and cook uncovered for 10-15 minutes to allow the flavors to meld and the broth to deepen.
- Add the littleneck clams to the pot, cover, and cook for 5-7 minutes, or until the clams begin to open. Discard any clams that remain closed.
- Gently nestle the white fish into the simmering broth. Cover and cook for 3-4 minutes, until the fish is just beginning to turn opaque.
- Add the shrimp and bay scallops to the pot. Cook uncovered for 2-3 minutes, gently stirring once or twice, until the shrimp are pink and opaque and the scallops are tender.
- Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper as needed. Serve hot, spooning plenty of broth over the seafood. This cioppino-style seafood stew is best enjoyed right away.
Nutrition
Notes
- Cook seafood in stages: Adding clams first, followed by fish, then shrimp and scallops ensures everything cooks evenly without becoming tough or rubbery.
- Do not boil: Keep the stew at a gentle simmer. Boiling can cause the seafood to overcook and become chewy.
- Scrub clams well: Rinse and scrub clams thoroughly before cooking, and discard any that are cracked or remain closed after cooking.
- Taste at the end: Clam juice can be salty, so wait until the stew is finished before adjusting the seasoning.
- Serving suggestions: Serve with Gluten-Free Focaccia or pair with Arugula Fig Salad for a balanced, weeknight-friendly meal.
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