Alaska Seafood Cioppino

Alaska Seafood Cioppino

A classic California-Italian dish with an Alaska twist, we utilized whatever seafood we had on hand to make this cioppino, and hope you'll do the same.

The basics are what matters here: quality stock, and variety of seafood. We used lingcod, octopus, and prawns because it's what we had available. But scallops, halibut, mussels, rockfish, and clams all make great additions. 

The most important step is order of operations when adding seafood. 

Generally, your fleshy whitefish cut into 2" chunks will take the longest - add these first. Scallops would take about as long as whitefish, perhaps 5 minutes. Shrimp will only take 2 minutes, and the same goes for clams and mussels. 

If everything's added at the same time, your shrimp will be far overdone by the time the cod cooks through. Just work by feel - as soon as your whitefish flakes, it's time to add shellfish.

Best enjoyed with:

Crusty, garlicky bread

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Alaska Seafood Cioppino

Servings

5-6

Prep Time

2+ hours

Cook Time

1.25 hours

Category

Soup

Alaska Seafood Cioppino

Ingredients

  • Quality olive oil

  • 2 cups diced (1/2") fennel bulb
  • 1.5 cups diced (1/2") yellow onion

  • 3+ cloves garlic, minced

  • 1 tsp whole dried fennel seeds
  • 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes

  • 4 cups seafood stock; store bought or made from scratch

  • 1.5 cups dry white wine; Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc is a personal favorite for an affordable cook and sip!

  • Sea salt and fresh ground pepper

  • 1 lb lingcod or other firm skinless, boneless whitefish - diced into 2” cubes

  • 1 lb spot prawns, thawed and peeled

  • 1 lb octopus, boiled for 45 min - 1 hour (until tender), then diced

  • 3 tbsp fresh minced Italian parsley 

  • Crusty bread, for serving

Directions

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    1. Prep our seafood stock, or purchase high quality from the store

    2. Ensure octopus has already been is boiled to tender, and ready to add.

    3. Over medium heat, warm ¼ cup olive oil in a large, heavy stock pot.

    4. Add fennel and onion, sauté for 10 minutes.

    5. Stir in garlic, fennel seeds, and red pepper flakes; cook for an additional 2 minutes

    6. Then add: tomatoes, stock, wine, pre-boiled octopus, ½ tbsp salt, 1 tsp pepper. Bring to a boil.

    7. Once it reaches a rolling boil, turn down head and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, or until liquid reaches desired consistency (thicker soup = longer simmer) and octopus is tender to the bite.

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    1. First, add lingcod; or whatever your largest raw chunks are. Simmer for 5 minutes.

    2. Then, add raw prawns (or other shellfish; clams, mussels) and simmer for an additional 2 minutes

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    1. Remove the pot from heat, cover, and allow to rest for 3 minutes before serving.

    2. Top with fresh parsley, and a side of crusty, garlicky bread.