San Francisco Seafood Casserole

San Francisco seafood casserole is the lazy-cook’s answer to cioppino, the city’s beloved Italian-American fisherman’s stew. Instead of fussing over a stovetop simmer, you build the tomato-wine-clam juice broth in a pan, pour it into a casserole dish, drop in the mussels, shrimp, and chunks of cod or flounder, and let the oven handle everything else.

The oven approach has a real advantage. Each piece of seafood cooks in its own pocket of warm broth, gently and evenly, without the constant stirring that can break up tender fish. You also avoid the seafood overcooking that happens when ingredients sit in a stovetop pot at different cook times.

Clam juice is the secret weapon. It boosts the briny ocean flavor without adding extra clams, and pairs beautifully with the tomato base and a healthy splash of white wine.

Pro Tips

• Scrub the mussels and pull off the beards just before cooking. Pre-bearded mussels die quickly and turn rubbery in the bake.
• Tap any open mussels firmly. If they don’t close within a minute, they’re dead and should be discarded. Cooked-in dead mussels can make people sick.
• Cut the fish into chunks no smaller than 2 inches. Smaller pieces overcook in the time it takes mussels to open, leaving you with chalky fish.
• Pull the casserole the moment all the mussels open and the fish flakes easily. Even a few extra minutes turns shrimp into rubber bands.

Variations

• Substitute scallops for half the shrimp, adding them only in the last 5 minutes (they cook faster).
• Use halibut or snapper for the white fish if cod isn’t available.
• Swap mussels for an equal weight of clams (per the recipe note) for a different brininess.

Serve with crusty sourdough bread for sopping up every drop of broth, the way it’s meant to be eaten in San Francisco.