Brodetto di Porto Recanati — White Brodetto with Saffron

Porto Recanati, Macerata province, Marche — the saffron-based white brodetto is specific to Porto Recanati and the immediately surrounding coastline. The saffron differentiation from the tomato-based brodetti of Ancona and other Marchigiani ports is the defining characteristic. The preparation is served in the fishing port restaurants of Porto Recanati as the primary tourist attraction.

Porto Recanati's brodetto is the most distinctive of the Marchigiani fish stews — one of the few Italian brodetti made entirely without tomato, relying instead on onion, white wine, and — most notably — saffron, which gives the broth a golden colour and a slightly floral note that contrasts with the sweetness of the Adriatic fish. This 'white brodetto' (brodetto in bianco) is considered the most refined of the many Marchigiani brodetti versions (Ancona uses tomato; Porto San Giorgio uses vinegar and tomato; Porto Recanati uses saffron and no tomato). The variety of fish is critical: 8-10 types in a single preparation, with the cooking order governed by firmness.

Brodetto di Porto Recanati in the bowl is golden — the saffron has coloured the onion-white wine broth to amber; the fish are perfectly cooked to their own textures; the mantis shrimp and langoustines on top add colour. The flavour is clean and sweet from the Adriatic fish, with the saffron providing a warm, slightly floral note through the broth. With thick toasted bread and raw olive oil, it is one of the most elegant fish preparations on the Adriatic coast.