I don't want Fennel in my cioppino, nor do I want water, I would use either a fish stock i made and or tomato juice.
And I don't want squid in it either. shrimp, crab, mussels clams and a white fish...I think cod would be a better choice than Pollock...halibut would be ideal

Well if you can't get fresh fish, perhaps choose a different recipe.

Try these.

https://www.google.com/search?q=tomato+and+fennel+recipes&oq=tomato+and+fennel+recipes&aqs=chrome..69i57j0i19i22i30j69i65.10187j0j7&client=tablet-android-samsung&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8

What Linda said, but frozen is fine, it's all I ever use 95% of the time and is much more reliably fresh than never frozen in almost all of the USA.

No fennel. Here's our friend Phil's cioppino recipe, which beat Bobby Flay's on Food Network.

https://gfreefoodie.com/phils-fish-market-cioppino-recipe/

Is this new territory? Have you tried any seafood stew or chowder recipes?

I've spent my entire life coastal from NewOrleans to Newfoundland Canada. I could make that recipe tonight... all from my freezer. Even having access to fresh. We have a fishing boat and always freezer our excess catch after a couple meals fresh. Your standard grocery puts out thawed fish and shrimp. Our crap closest grocery we only use for emergencies like a bag of ice😂, has a frozen seafood section with sustainable wild caught whole shrimp.

You should look at a few other recipes. Ina has one and many others. I'm very picky about clams and mussels so I would leave them out. Might want to simplify. Same flavors but less excess in the seafood dept. I make my own stock but the bottles clam juice is really good. I don't care for oregano with seafood but do use summer savory and thyme. We also prefer a less punch in the tomato dept. I suppose I'm leaning more towards a Bouillabaisse though the are very similar. I just call it seafood stew. (avoids pesky recipe police)

I use leek, celery, shallot at the onset...finish with some shaved fennel as a garnish....some type of fennel salad on the side depending on the season. We love fennel but some do not. Prefer fennel fresh over cooked.

^^not at all suggesting you take any of my advice. Just what I would do considering our preferences. Clams look really good and fresh a few times a year. Only then do I build a meal around them.

At the moment I have salmon, shrimp, scallops, halibut, cod, and a couple lobster tails in my freezer....

^^^Phil's menu is mouth watering!

I make an easy shrimp stock, if you want to make stock instead of using clam juice. Shrimp shells (you can use heads too, but I prefer it without), celery trimmings, and onion trimmings. Cover with water. Simmer for at least 10 minutes.

Thanks! I've never had it and always wanted to try it. I'm glad to hear no fennel, because I wasn't sure about leaving it out; it's not my favorite. But neither is cilantro, and I added to every Mexican dish since it wouldn't be the same without it.

I have to give Phil's a good look, since I used to live in Monterey ;) How could I have forgotten his version?! I'm a bad Californian

Any good cioppino must have wine and seafood/fish stock (or clam juice).

I always use wine, and seafood stock (I use bottled clam juice, shrimp shells, and make up the difference with chicken broth.) A tiny amount of fennel is okay, but it easily becomes overpowering IMHO.

Sorry, it I’d lose the fennel. Can’t stomach the stuff. And this from one who eats most everything.