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Slow Cooker Seafood Cioppino + VIDEO

Slow cooker seafood cioppino is a fuss-free spin on a classic Italian-American stew. Combining an mixture of seafood with a rich, tomato-based broth, this easy seafood stew can be served year-round. Tailor this recipe to your liking by adding your preferred seafood.  Instructions to make this easy recipe in the Instant Pot are also included. 

Ingredients For Slow Cooker Seafood Cioppino

  • Fresh Seafood (combination of your preferred fish and shellfish)
  • Diced Tomatoes
  • Tomato Paste
  • Onion
  • Celery Stalks
  • Bell Pepper
  • Broth or Stock 
  • Garlic
  • Seasonings: Italian Seasoning, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes
  • Bay leaf

shrimp, calamari, scallops, and mussels

How To Make Seafood Cioppino In The Crock-Pot

Slow Cooker

  1. Add STEW ingredients to the slow cooker. Stir to mix well.
  2. Cook HIGH 2-3 hours or LOW 4-6.
  3. Rinse seafood. Add seafood to the slow cooker and cook and additional 15-30 minutes. Remove bay leaf before serving. Garnish with fresh parsley if using.

Instant Pot

  1. Turn on the Instant Pot and select sauté. Once hot add the oil, onion, celery, and bell pepper. Cook approximately 3-5 minutes or until vegetable are soft. Add garlic and cook an additional minute.
  2. Stir in remaining STEW ingredients.
  3. Close lid and seal valve. Set high pressure and cook for 20minutes. When cook time is done, quick release the pressure.
  4. Open the lid and stir the food. Turn on the Instant Pot to sauté. Once bubbling, stir in the rinsed seafood. Cook a few minutes until seafood is done.
  5. Remove bay leaf before serving. Garnish with fresh parsley if using.

before

What Is Seafood Cioppino

Seafood cioppino is a Italian-American seafood stew originally from in San Francisco, California. In the late 1800s, Italian-American fisherman from San Francisco started using their leftover seafood catch of the day to create a stew. I first had cioppino when I moved to the Bay Area post college in 2002. One bite in and I was hooked.

add seafood & cook a little longer

What Type Of Seafood To Use

As previously mentioned, when seafood cioppino first appeared, it made with whatever the fisherman caught in the Pacific Coast waters off of San Fran. This usually included crab, shrimp, and scallops among other seafood. I used shrimp, calamari, scallops, and mussels that I bought pre-mixed and frozen from Costco. As with a lot of my recipes, you can use your preferred seafood. You can use any combination of your favorite seafood whether it be fish, mussels, shrimp, crab, scallops or clams. This recipe is written to use fresh seafood not frozen. I thawed my frozen seafood in the frig overnight before using in the recipe the next day.

How To Serve Cioppino

What is cioppino usually served with? Bread. Crusty, charred bread to be exact. I won’t beat around the bush, seafood cioppino is best served with bread dipped in its flavorful tomato-based sauce. But again, this version is meant to be low-carb, paleo, and whole30 so I normally just eat it as-is. If the seafood stew alone is not that’s not filling enough for you, this cioppino is also good served over cauliflower rice or even zoodles.

FAQs & Tips

  • Store leftover stew in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or in the freezer for 3 months.  
  • Turn this stew into a soup by adding an additional 4 cups of beef broth. 
  • I use a 6-quart slow cooker or Instant Pot to make this recipe.

Seafood Recipes

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Slow Cooker Seafood Cioppino

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5 from 1 review

Slow cooker seafood cioppino is a fuss-free spin on a classic Italian-American stew. Combining an mixture of seafood with a rich, tomato-based broth, this easy seafood stew can be served year-round. Tailor this recipe to your liking by adding your preferred seafood.  Instructions to make this easy recipe in the Instant Pot are also included.

  • Total Time: 4 hours 10 mins
  • Yield: 6 servings 1x

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 2 pounds fresh seafood (combination of your preferred fish and shellfish)
  • 1 tablespoon oil (for Instant Pot)
  • 1/4 cup fresh parsley (optional)

Stew:

  • 28 ounces diced tomatoes
  • 6 ounces tomato paste
  • 1/2 cup onion, diced
  • 2 celery stalks, sliced
  • 1 bell pepper, diced
  • 2 cups low-sodium broth or stock (or 1 cup plus 1 cup water)
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon salt (or more)
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1 bay leaf

Instructions

Slow Cooker

  1. Add STEW ingredients to the slow cooker. Stir to mix well.
  2. Cook HIGH 2-3 hours or LOW 4-6.
  3. Rinse seafood. Add seafood to the slow cooker and cook and additional 15-30 minutes. Remove bay leaf before serving. Garnish with fresh parsley if using.

Instant Pot

  1. Turn on the Instant Pot and select sauté. Once hot add the oil, onion, celery, and bell pepper. Cook approximately 3-5 minutes or until vegetable are soft. Add garlic and cook an additional minute.
  2. Stir in remaining STEW ingredients.
  3. Close lid and seal valve. Set high pressure and cook for 20minutes. When cook time is done, quick release the pressure.
  4. Open the lid and stir the food. Turn on the Instant Pot to sauté. Once bubbling, stir in the rinsed seafood. Cook a few minutes until seafood is done.
  5. Remove bay leaf before serving. Garnish with fresh parsley if using.
  • Author: Shannon Epstein
  • Prep Time: 10 mins
  • Cook Time: 4 hours

Nutrition

  • Serving Size:
  • Calories: 302
  • Sugar: 9.2 g
  • Sodium: 1129.1 mg
  • Fat: 7 g
  • Saturated Fat: 1.2 g
  • Carbohydrates: 18 g
  • Fiber: 3.5 g
  • Protein: 43.9 g
  • Cholesterol: 160.4 mg

[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”xKiNO1Tw” upload-date=”2021-03-01T03:40:43.000Z” name=”Slow Cooker Seafood Cioppino” description=”Seafood cioppino is a seafood stew cooked in a tomato based sauce. Make this low-carb, paleo, whole30 version in your slow cooker or Instant Pot.” player-type=”default” override-embed=”default”]

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Slow Cooker Seafood Cioppino + VIDEO
Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

Erin

Thursday 29th of July 2021

This recipe is so delicious! So easy to make in the Instant Pot. It has great flavor. It makes a ton! It’s healthy. I am so impressed with myself that I could make this. Thank you for a wonderful recipe!

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Friday 19th of February 2021

Can I double this in slowcooker if so how. Also Why diced tomatoes and not crushed

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