Brodetto all'Anconetana — Adriatic Fish Stew

Ancona, Marche. Each Adriatic port has its own brodetto tradition — the Anconetana is the most austere, relying entirely on the fish variety for complexity. The 13-fish tradition is documented from at least the 16th century in Ancona's fishing records.

Brodetto all'Anconetana is the fish stew of Ancona — different from the Pesarese brodetto (which uses saffron and vinegar) and the Rossinese brodetto (minimalist, with vinegar only). The Anconetana version uses 13 types of fish (one for each apostle, with the thirteenth for Judas), cooked in a very simple tomato and olive oil base with no wine, no vinegar, no saffron — just good tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, and the fish. The complexity comes from the variety of fish, not the seasonings.

The concentrated broth of 13 fish species — each contributing different gelatins, fats, and minerals — creates a complexity that no single-species fish stew can achieve. The minimal seasoning (tomato, garlic, olive oil) frames rather than masks this complexity. This is Mediterranean fishing-culture cooking at its most sophisticated simplicity.