Seafood cioppino is a tomato-based Italian-American seafood stew made with fresh seafood, including Dungeness crab, and served with toasted sourdough bread. It is similar to traditional Italian fish stews and reflects the locally available fish. The name may come from a Genoese dialect or from dockside calls to “chip in.”
Seafood cioppino is an Italian-American seafood stew first prepared in the late 19th century by immigrant fishermen who settled in the San Francisco Bay Area. The catch of the day, typically crab, prawns, clams, muscles and a firm white fish, is cooked with onions, garlic, tomatoes and wine. Cioppino di mare is traditionally served with toasted sourdough bread.
While not an Italian dish, seafood cioppino bears a passing resemblance to traditional Italian regional fish stews such as cacciucco from Livorno and buridda from Liguria. Like the many types of Mediterranean fish soups, the dish’s flavor profile reflects the locally available native species of fish. In the case of cioppino di mare, the sweet and delicately flavored Dungeness crab is characteristic. What defines cioppino, however, is the freshness and variety of seafood that makes its way onto the plate. This is not a dish usually made from leftover or frozen fish.
Preparing seafood cioppino will involve a trip to the local fish market to select a variety of the freshest seafood available. No specific fish is required or prohibited, although a firm white fish may produce the best results. If crab is unavailable, it may be omitted or lobster may be used as a substitute. The fish is traditionally served in the shell after cooking in a tomato-based broth with onions, garlic, olive oil, herbs and wine. For convenience, the dish can be served with seafood removed from the shell.
The term cioppino is said to derive from the Italian word ciuppin, which in the Genoese dialect refers to any type of fish stew or fish soup. Presumably, Italian immigrants from the Liguria region brought this reference with them. “Cioppino” may have developed as a idiom in the working language of San Francisco’s commercial fishermen, who were largely of Italian or Portuguese ancestry.
A more fanciful account suggests that the term comes from dockside calls for “chip in” to a common dish from the daily catch. The call to contribute became “chip-in-o” due to the fishermen’s native accents. In time, cioppino became the standard name for the dish.
Although the name “cioppino” may be a product of American culture, the dish itself derives from a culinary tradition common to the Mediterranean basin. The production of fish soups and stews is widespread in seafaring societies. Recipes change to fit the environment. San Francisco seafood cioppino is the result of a diverse population, cultural culinary tradition, and incorporation of local resources.
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