Fish Stew (Cacciucco) Recipe

A robust, traditional Tuscan seafood stew featuring a variety of fresh fish and shellfish simmered in a rich, spicy red wine and tomato broth, served over garlic-rubbed toasted bread.

Ingredients

• 2 kg mixed fresh fish fillets and shellfish, such as red mullet, small sole, gurnard, monkfish, sea bass, cuttlefish, baby octopus, prawns, mussels, squid or scallops

• 8 tbsp. olive oil, plus extra for drizzling

• 1 large onion, finely sliced

• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped, plus an extra clove for rubbing

• 1 kg ripe tomatoes, skinned and chopped, or 2 x 400 g tins of chopped tomatoes

• 125 ml red wine

• a little chopped fresh chilli

• 3 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

• ½ tsp fennel seeds

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 6–8 slices good bread, slightly stale or toasted

Instructions

1. Cut fish fillets into large chunks and seafood into manageable pieces.
2. Put the oil, onion and garlic into a large pan and fry briefly. Add the tomatoes, wine, chilli, parsley and fennel seeds and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 15 minutes.
3. Start to add large pieces of fish to the sauce first and those that will take the longest to cook, such as monkfish, then add the more tender fish such as red mullet or sole and the shellfish, ending up with the mussels if using. Cook for 5 or so minutes, or until the fish is cooked and the mussels have opened. Rub the bread with garlic, drizzle with olive oil, and put each slice in the bottom of a deep soup bowl. Pour over the soup. Buonappetito.