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Brodetto all'anconetana
Tomato fish stew
Brodetto all'anconetana: Ancona's tomato and vinegar fish stew with many kinds of fish and shellfish
Fishermen in Ancona made brodetto from the unsold catch, and the city's harbour restaurants still serve it as a festive dish, traditionally with many kinds of fish: scorpionfish, gurnard, monkfish, cuttlefish, mussels and clams among them. Unlike the saffron brodetto further south at Porto Recanati, this one is red, built on tomato, garlic and a sharp splash of vinegar, and every piece of fish keeps its shape in a thick, peppery sauce. It comes to the table in the pot and is spooned over slices of toasted bread rubbed with garlic. Use whatever firm white fish your fishmonger has; the more variety, the better. Chef's tip: layer the fish by cooking time, firm and bony pieces at the bottom, delicate fillets on top, and shake the pot rather than stirring.
- Total time
- 85 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the stew
- ½ cup olive oil
- 1 onionfinely chopped
- 4 garlic clovessliced
- ½ tsp dried chilli flakes
- 14 oz cleaned cuttlefish or squidcut into strips
- ¼ cup white wine vinegar
- 14 oz tinned chopped tomatoes
- 1 cup water
- 1 ¾ lb firm fish on the bonee.g. monkfish, gurnard, scorpionfish, cut into large pieces; or thick cod or hake steaks
- 14 oz delicate white fish filletse.g. sole, whiting or red mullet, in large pieces
- 1 ⅛ lb live musselsscrubbed and debearded
- 1 ⅛ lb live clamssoaked in salted water for 1 hour
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
To serve
- 6 country breadslices, toasted and rubbed with garlic
- 1 tbsp flat-leaf parsley (optional)chopped
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Method
0/9 doneStep 1: Check the shellfish before you start: tap any open 1 ⅛ lb live mussels or 1 ⅛ lb live clams on the worktop and throw away any that stay open, along with any with cracked or broken shells. They are dead and not safe to eat.
Step 2: Warm ½ cup olive oil in a very wide, shallow pot over a medium heat. Add 1 onion, 4 garlic cloves and ½ tsp dried chilli flakes and cook until the onion is soft and translucent.
8 minStep 3: Add 14 oz cleaned cuttlefish or squid and cook, stirring, until it turns opaque white and starts to colour slightly.
5 minStep 4: Pour in ¼ cup white wine vinegar and let it bubble hard until the sharp smell softens.
2 minStep 5: Add 14 oz tinned chopped tomatoes, 1 cup water, 1 tsp salt and ½ tsp black pepper and simmer gently until the cuttlefish is tender when pierced and the sauce has thickened a little.
20 minStep 6: Lay 1 ¾ lb firm fish on the bone in the sauce in a single layer, then 14 oz delicate white fish fillets on top. Spoon a little sauce over, cover and cook over a low heat. Don't stir: that's the usual reason brodetto turns into a mushy fish soup. Shake the pot gently instead.
8 minStep 7: Tuck 1 ⅛ lb live mussels, 1 ⅛ lb live clams and 6 raw prawns in their shells in among the fish, cover again and cook until the shells open, the prawns are pink right through and the fish is opaque and flakes easily.
6 minStep 8: Throw away any mussels or clams that have stayed shut. Taste the sauce for salt.
Step 9: Put 6 country bread in warm bowls and spoon the fish and plenty of sauce over, scattered with parsley.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 540 kcal
- Protein
- 58 g
- Carbs
- 28 g
- Fat
- 22 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does brodetto all'anconetana take?
- About 85 minutes in total: 40 minutes to prepare and 45 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of garlic cloves?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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