Name: Cioppino
Yield: 6–8
Ingredients: 3 tablespoons olive oil; 1 large fennel bulb , thinly sliced; 6 ounces onion , chopped; 8 ounces of celery , chopped; 3 large shallots , chopped; 2 teaspoons salt; 4 large garlic cloves, finely chopped; ¾ teaspoon dried crushed red pepper flakes , plus more to taste; 6 ounces tomato paste; 2 pounds diced tomatoes; 1 ½ cups dry white wine; 5 cups water; 1 bay leaf; 2 pounds crabs (any type), cut into pieces; 2 pounds mussels , scrubbed and debearded; 1 pound scallops; 1 ½ pounds tilapia (or other white, firm-fleshed fish ), cut into 2- inch chunks; 2 loaves of San Francisco sourdough bread or any other bread with a chewy crust

Why it works: Onion and garlic match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 29,058 recipes. Both carry furaneol, which smells caramel, strawberry. The science ↓

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

Onion + garlictop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together29,058 recipes

Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
Olive + garlictop 2% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together25,665 recipes

Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).
Fennel + shallottop 2% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together146 recipes

Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
Fennel + celerytop 3% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together276 recipes

Shared aroma: myristicin (spice, warm).
Shallot + garlictop 4% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together2,000 recipes

Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Tomato paste: Adds concentrated tomato flavor and deep color to the broth.
Dry white wine: Adds acidity and aromatic depth to the broth as it simmers.
Mussels: Release their juices into the broth and add briny, savory flavor.
Tilapia: Firm white fish that holds its shape in the simmering broth.
Scallops: Cook quickly and turn tender, adding sweetness to the broth.
Fennel: Adds a mild anise aroma that builds the soup's savory base.

The step that matters

Adding the seafood in order. Mussels need a few minutes to open, while scallops and fish cook quickly. Adding everything together overcooks the delicate seafood before the mussels open, and the soup stays cooler when the pot is crowded.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (olive, fennel, celery, shallot, garlic, clove, pepper):

Chivefits better
Kalefits better
Spinachfits better
Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against olive, fennel, celery, shallot, garlic, clove, pepper. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Flour	1 cup (125g) all-purpose	455
Salmon	100g cooked	208
Olive Oil	1 tbsp (14g)	119
Shrimp	100g cooked	99
Crab	100g cooked	97
Sourdough	1 slice (36g)	93
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Fennel Bulb	1/2 bulb (87g)	27
Wine	2 tbsp cooking wine (30ml)	25
Tomato	1 medium (123g)	22
Chili	1 tsp (2.7g)	8
Celery	1 stalk (40g)	6
Garlic	1 clove (3g)	4
Bay Leaf	1 leaf (0.6g)	2
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0
Water	not in our table	0

Cioppino

Cioppino

Ingredients

Directions

Make the base

Add the seafood and finish

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)