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1
Warm the olive oil in a wide, heavy-bottomed pan over a moderate flame. Add the garlic and peperoncino. Cook without colour until the garlic is fragrant and softened — the oil should carry a steady, gentle scent of chilli but the garlic must not brown.
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2
Add the quartered cherry tomatoes. Cook at a brisk simmer for 5 minutes only — no longer. The tomatoes should collapse slightly and release their juice but the liquid must remain light and broth-like. If it thickens toward a sauce consistency, the brodetto is already lost; pull the heat down immediately.
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3
Add the octopus. Reduce to the gentlest possible heat — the surface of the liquid should tremble, not roll. Cover and cook for 20 minutes. Test a piece with a knife tip: it should yield with light resistance but hold its shape entirely. This is where the dish lives or dies — vigorous boiling at this or any subsequent stage will disintegrate the fish, strip its sweetness, and reduce the broth to nothing.
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4
Add the scorpionfish, weever, mullet, and sole. Maintain the same trembling heat. Cook for 10 minutes. The flesh of the firm fish should be just opaque through to the bone; the broth around them should remain pale, almost translucent at the edges.
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5
Add the mantis shrimp and mussels. Cook for 4 minutes, covered. The mussels must open fully — any that remain closed are discarded. The mantis shrimp shells will be bright and the flesh within just set.
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6
Remove from the heat. Scatter the chopped flat-leaf parsley over the surface at the moment of service — it must not cook. Finish with a drizzle of raw Molise extra-virgin olive oil directly over each portion. Serve immediately with grilled pane di grano duro alongside to absorb the broth.