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Seafood and Fennel Stew with Saffron (Cioppino-Inspired)

Seafood and Fennel Stew with Saffron (Cioppino-Inspired)

San Francisco has a proud cioppino tradition, Italian immigrant fishermen on the wharf building stews from the day's catch, and we're not going to pretend we invented anything here. What we've done is take the spirit of that dish, a saffron-laced, tomato-and-fennel broth loaded with whatever seafood looks best at the market, and streamlined it for a weeknight. This is a "looks impressive, isn't that hard" dinner. The saffron is worth buying if you don't have it, a small pinch transforms the broth into something golden and deeply aromatic. Serve it with something to soak up the broth. You will want to drink the broth.

  • Prep15 minutes
  • Cook40 minutes
  • Total55 minutes
  • Servings4
  • PRO
  • GF
  • DF
  • PF
Estimated macros per serving

Calories ~350 · Protein ~36g · Carbs ~23g · Fat ~9g

Ingredients

For the stew:
  • 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 1 pound littleneck clams or mussels (or a mix), scrubbed and debearded if using mussels (pull the fibrous beard toward the hinge and tug sharply to remove)
  • ½ pound firm white fish (cod, halibut, or sea bass), cut into 2-inch pieces
  • 1 large fennel bulb, cored and thinly sliced (reserve fronds for garnish)
  • 1 medium yellow onion, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
  • 1 cup dry white wine (or substitute fish or chicken broth)
  • 2 cups fish or chicken broth
  • Generous pinch of saffron threads (about ¼ teaspoon)
  • ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • juice of ½ lemon
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • Crusty bread or grilled sourdough, for serving (optional; use gluten-free bread to keep the gluten-free tag)

Method

  1. In a small bowl, combine the saffron threads with 2 tablespoons of warm water. Let steep while you prepare everything else. This blooms the saffron and extracts maximum color and flavor.
  2. Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the sliced fennel and diced onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 6–8 minutes, until the fennel is soft and the onion is translucent.
  3. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook for about 1 minute, stirring, until fragrant.
  4. Pour in the white wine and let it bubble for 2 minutes, scraping up any bits from the bottom of the pot.
  5. Add the crushed tomatoes, broth, and the bloomed saffron with its soaking liquid. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook, partially covered, for 20–25 minutes, until the broth deepens in color and the tomato flavor mellows. For a soupier, more drinkable broth, add an extra cup of fish or chicken stock at this stage.
  6. Before adding the bivalves, tap any open clams or mussels against the counter — discard any that don't close within a few seconds. These are dead and should not be cooked.
  7. Nestle the clams and/or mussels into the broth (shellfish need more time in the pot than shrimp or fish). Cover and cook for 4–5 minutes, until the shells begin to open.
  8. Add the white fish pieces and shrimp. Cover and cook for another 4–5 minutes, until the shrimp are pink and curled, the fish flakes easily, and the clams or mussels have fully opened. Discard any shells that haven't opened.
  9. Squeeze the lemon juice over the stew. Taste the broth and adjust salt. Ladle into wide, shallow bowls and garnish with fennel fronds. Serve with crusty bread for broth-soaking duty.

Variations & Notes

  • Vegan Swap: Replace all the seafood with 1 can of drained chickpeas, 1 cup of cubed firm tofu, and 2 cups of cubed zucchini. Add them in the last 8 minutes of simmering. Use vegetable broth and add a sheet of nori (torn into pieces) with the broth in step 5 and let them dissolve into the base for a subtle sea flavor.
  • Paleo-Friendly Adjustment: Already paleo-friendly as written. Skip the bread and serve with roasted sweet potato wedges for dipping.
  • Extra Hungry: Serve over cooked farro or orzo to soak up the broth. Or just double the bread.
  • Substitutions: Use whatever seafood looks freshest: scallops, crab, calamari all work. If saffron isn't in the budget (it's expensive), use ½ teaspoon of turmeric and a pinch of smoked paprika, not the same, but still beautiful. Frozen seafood works, just thaw completely and pat dry before adding to the stew.
  • Storage: Best eaten fresh. The broth base (without seafood) can be made up to 2 days ahead and refrigerated; reheat to a simmer before adding fresh seafood. Always cook the seafood fully the first time (opaque throughout, 145°F) — never bank on a reheat to finish the job. If you have leftovers with seafood already in, they keep 1–2 days; bring them back to a full simmer and accept slightly firmer seafood as the price of a safe second bowl.