Cioppino Soup Base: Your Simple Solution For Fancy Quick Meals

April 23, 2025 Master Canner

Cioppino isn’t complicated, but it does have a lot going on: sautéed aromatics, herbs, wine, tomatoes, and fish stock. Getting that part right takes time. And if you’re adding seafood and managing bread for dipping on the same day, that’s like fussing with five different pots and a bunch of splatters in one go. Even the thought of that can easily make anyone abandon the idea of making cioppino fish soup at home. It doesn’t have to be that way! In our house, we make the cioppino base separately, then freeze it. That way, the hard part’s done, and all you need to do is add seafood and finish your cioppino soup in 15 minutes flat!

Feel free to skip straight to the recipe, or hang out a bit for some handy tips, ingredient recommendations, and tricks to make this cioppino soup base truly exceptional. Promise, no grandma stories here!

Jump to Recipe

Making cioppino soup base is kind of like meal-prepping, but instead of sad desk salads, you get bold, tomatoey, wine-splashed broth that turns whatever seafood you’ve got into an Italian-American dream ANY DAY OF THE WEEK! We always have at least a batch or two of cioppino base in our freezer and so should you!

So What is Cioppino, Exactly?

Cioppino is a tomato-based fish soup that originated with Italian fishermen in San Francisco. They’d gather up whatever didn’t sell at the end of the day – clams, mussels, crab, shrimp, squid – and simmer it in wine, garlic, onions, and tomatoes.

Over time, cioppino made its way into restaurants, and the rest is delicious history. But at its heart, it’s still exactly what it was back then – it’s not fussy. It’s not precious. It’s just good. And once you make this base, you can summon that goodness any time you like.

What This Base Is (And Isn’t)

Let’s get one thing straight: this is the Cioppino base, not the whole Cioppino fish soup. That means this recipe does not cover adding seafood. We’re building the flavor structure that can support whatever shellfish or finned friend you’ve got on hand later.

It is:	*It’s not:*
Tomato-rich, but not a marinara Garlicky, winey, and slightly briny Balanced with herbs and full of depth from fish stock	Chunky with fish (yet) Creamy Super spicy (though you can make it spicy if you like)

Most importantly, we’re starting with our homemade fish stock that we made in this post and then stashed in our freezer. That means the base is already loaded with the ocean of flavor we want, so we don’t need to simmer it for hours to add to our Cioppino base recipe.

Important note if you’re using store-bought stock

Frankly, most boxed or jarred fish stock is flat and underseasoned. Honestly, it often tastes like someone boiled a fish and gave up halfway.

If you’re not using our homemade fish stock recipe and plan to use store-bought instead, do yourself a favor: read the label carefully before you bring it home. You’re looking for ingredients like fennel, leek, and wine—those are the aromatic backbone of a proper cioppino fish soup. Without them, the cioppino base just won’t have the depth and character this recipe depends on.

If your store-bought stock doesn’t include those ingredients, you’ll need to make up for it. Sauté chopped fennel and leek in olive oil. Deglaze with wine until soft and fragrant, then add the stock and simmer it for at least 20 minutes to infuse those flavors before continuing with the recipe.

Lastly, strain the stock before using it. You want all the flavor, not a mouthful of wilted vegetables.

Wait… Isn’t This Just Bouillabaisse?

Good question! At a glance, cioppino and bouillabaisse look like long-lost cousins. Both are seafood soups originating from coastal towns. Both are the kind of thing you serve with crusty bread and a lot of napkins.

But here’s where they split:

Cioppino:

Born in San Francisco by Italian immigrants, especially from the Ligurian coast (near Genoa).
Has a tomato-based broth with garlic, wine, and chili flakes.
Typically uses white wine or sometimes red.
Bold, hearty, and rustic—whatever seafood is fresh or leftover goes in.
Usually served with crusty sourdough bread

Bouillabaisse:

Comes from Marseille, France, with deep Provençal roots.
Features a saffron-infused broth—light, fragrant, and golden.
Made with white wine, herbs, and often a splash of Pernod (anise-flavored liquor).
More refined, and often includes specific Mediterranean fish like rascasse (scorpionfish).
Traditionally served with bread and a condiment called rouille.

Pro Tips for the Cioppino Base

Use good wine—but not your best. If it’s too rough to drink, it’s too rough for your cioppino. But don’t waste that $30 bottle either.

Don’t burn the garlic. This is non-negotiable. Burnt garlic = bitter base.

Don’t add color to the onions. Cook onions till softened and translucent. Add them one minute after you added garlic to the pot.

Build layers. Tomato paste, chopped canned tomatoes, wine, and fish stock all work together. Skipping any one of them won’t ruin things, but you’ll miss some magic.

Taste as you go. Especially after simmering. The broth should taste good before the seafood goes in.

Freeze. Once the base has cooled, pour it into freezer-safe mason jars or containers with tight fitting lids. It’ll keep beautifully in the freezer for up to 6 months. After that, it won’t spoil, but the flavor tends to lose some of its brightness and depth.

How to make Cioppino Base – Step by Step

start cioppino base by sweating onions and garli — cioppino base recipe ingredients

Cioppino – Fisherman’s Stew Soup Base

This tomato-rich, wine-laced seafood soup is the kind of dish people pay $32 for at the restaurants. But once you’ve got homemade fish stock in your fridge or freezer, you’re already halfway there. All you need now is a handful of pantry staples and about 45 minutes to make a base you can freeze, store, and bring back to life any time seafood calls your name. This recipe will teach you how to do it.

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 30

Ingredients

1 large yellow or white onion - roughly chopped
5 garlic cloves finely chopped
½ cup white or light red wine
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 ½ tbsp. dry oregano
2 tbsp. tomato paste
12 oz. diced canned tomatoes - 800 g.
2 quarts homemade fish stock - 2 liters *For all the details on making fish stock, check out our earlier post (link in the notes below).
1 small jalapeno - optional, not shown
Salt - to taste

Servings: 12

Instructions

Start with the aromatics:

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.
Lower the heat to medium-low, then add the garlic. Stir gently until fragrant – about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Don’t let it brown.
Add the chopped onion and stir to coat in the garlicky oil. Sprinkle in the oregano.
Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and translucent – about 5 to 7 minutes.

Add the tomato paste:

Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 2–3 minutes. Let it darken and caramelize a bit on the bottom of the pot. This deepens the flavor. Just keep the heat low – don’t let it burn.

Deglaze and build the broth:

Pour in the white wine and stir to loosen any bits stuck to the bottom. Let it bubble for a minute.
Add the crushed tomatoes, fish stock, jalapeño (if using), and a generous pinch of salt.
Bring everything to a light simmer and let it cook uncovered for 15 minutes.

Blend to your liking:

Use an immersion blender to blend the base right in the pot—or carefully transfer it to a blender in batches.
Blend until smooth, or leave a little texture if you like. Taste and adjust salt as needed.

Cool:

Let the base cool completely before transferring it to airtight containers or freezer-safe jars.

Store it up:

Refrigerate: Keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Freeze: Freeze for up to 6 months. After that, it’s still safe, but the flavor may start to fade a little.

When you’re ready to use it:

Thaw frozen cioppino base in the fridge overnight. Once defrosted, bring it to a simmer before adding seafood.

Discover exclusive offers on kitchen tools and products on Amazon Shop for Freezer-Safe Jars and Lids on Amazon

~

We are using our homemade Fish Stock to make this Cioppino Soup Base: click here for a full recipe.

Course Soup | Stock

Cuisine Italian

https://cannedexperience.com/cioppino-soup-base-your-simple-solution-for-fancy-quick-meals/

We can’t wait to learn how this preserve recipe worked out for you. Leave us a comment below, like us on X, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and Blue Sky. And remember, sharing is caring!

FAQs

How to Use the Cioppino Soup Base

When you’re ready for dinner:

Serve hot with sourdough, garlic toast, or crusty baguette for dipping.
Thaw the Cioppino base in a fridge.
Reheat it in a pot so that it starts to bubble
Add cleaned seafood: shrimp, mussels, clams, chunks of white fish, scallops—whatever you like.
Simmer 7 minutes until seafood is just cooked and shellfish have opened.

Can I Use Chicken Broth Instead of Fish Stock?

Not “eh, maybe.” Not “if that’s all you’ve got.” Just hard no!

Chicken broth has its place—it’s lovely in risotto, great in soup, and your personal hero when you’re sick. We even have a chicken broth recipe of our own that we love to add to almost everything. But Cioppino is where we draw the line.

You want something that tastes like the ocean. Clean, briny, a little wild. That’s fish stock. If you don’t have any, either make it (we’ve got a recipe here) or grab a good store-bought version with fennel and leek in the ingredients.

Can I Use Fresh Oregano

Either fresh or dried oregano will get the job done.

What kind of tomatoes work best?

Diced tomatoes (canned) are your friend. If you only have whole peeled tomatoes, that’s fine too. San Marzano tomatoes are the best but cost a bit more.

If using whole tomatoes, plan to blend the Cioppino base a bit more at the end to get the right consistency of the soup base.

Can I Water Bath This Cioppino Base?

Short answer: no. It’s too low-acid and contains oil and stock to be safe for canning, unless you know how to pressure can.

We recommend to freeze it instead! Use freezer-safe Quart-size mason jars – Just be sure to leave plenty of headspace to prevent cracking as the liquid expands.

Cioppino Soup Base: Your Simple Solution For Fancy Quick Meals

So What is Cioppino, Exactly?

What This Base Is (And Isn’t)

Important note if you’re using store-bought stock