Step 1

Preheat oven to 200°F

Step 2

Place 6 large serving bowls into the oven.

Step 3

Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a large pot over high heat. Add onions, fennel, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook until softened and fragrant for about 4 minutes, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium and add garlic and cook another minute, stirring constantly. Add bay leaf, oregano and tomato paste and stir for 3 minutes. Add chopped tomatoes and stir for 4 minutes. Add white wine, clam juice and stock and bring to a boil. Next, add parsley, basil and rosemary sprig. Reduce to medium and simmer for 30 minutes. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper, and cayenne. Add clams and mussels and simmer until opened, about 3 minutes. Add shrimp and scallops and stir.

Step 4

Next, add 2 tablespoons olive oil to a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Season snapper fillets with salt and pepper and add them to the heated pan. Cook for 2 minutes, flip and cook another minute. Fish will be slightly underdone.

Step 5

Remove serving bowls from oven. Place a seared snapper fillet into each heated bowl. Add crab pieces to the soup and heat through approximately 2 minutes. With a pair of tongs, remove crab legs to serving bowls.

Step 6

Remove bay leaf and rosemary stem from cioppino and discard. Cover fish and crab with a couple of ladles of soup in each bowl. Serve with sourdough bread. Discard any unopened clams or mussels.