Brodetto di Pesce alla Vastese con Peperoni Dolci

Ingredients

• For the soffritto and base
• 80 ml extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, finely sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, finely sliced
• 3 large sweet bell peppers (peperoni dolci), seeded, sliced into strips
• 200 ml dry white wine
• 400 g crushed tomatoes
• For the fish
• 300 g cuttlefish or squid, cleaned, cut into rings or pieces
• 300 g monkfish or bream fillet, cut into large pieces
• 300 g clams, scrubbed
• 300 g mussels, scrubbed and debearded
• To finish
• 30 ml extra-virgin olive oil, raw, for drizzling
• 1 small bunch flat-leaf parsley, leaves torn
• to taste fine sea salt

Method

1. 1
   Warm the 80 ml of olive oil in a wide, heavy-based pan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is completely translucent and softened — sight: the edges of the onion begin to colour.
2. 2
   Add the sliced sweet peppers to the pan. Cook, uncovered, over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the peppers are entirely soft and their edges have begun to caramelise into the oil. This is where the dish lives or dies: the caramelisation of the peppers is the irreplaceable flavour foundation of the Vastese brodetto — without it the stew lacks all structural sweetness and depth. Sight: the pepper strips are collapsed, golden at the edges, and the oil in the pan has taken on a faint amber tint.
3. 3
   Pour in the white wine and deglaze the pan, scraping up any caramelised deposits from the base. Allow the wine to reduce by roughly half. Smell: the sharp alcohol note gives way to a rounded, fruity acidity.
4. 4
   Add the crushed tomatoes. Stir to combine with the pepper base and bring to a steady simmer. Cook uncovered for 10 minutes to allow the tomato acidity to mellow into the base. Sight: the surface shows a gentle, even bubble; the sauce has deepened in colour.
5. 5
   Add the cuttlefish or squid pieces to the simmering base. Maintain a steady simmer — not a boil — and cook uncovered until the cuttlefish is beginning to turn tender. Touch: a piece pressed gently with a spoon offers slight but not hard resistance.
6. 6
   Add the monkfish or bream pieces, nestling them into the stew. Do not stir; prod gently with a wooden spoon only if necessary. Cook uncovered at a steady simmer until the white fish is just opaque through. Sight: the flesh has turned from translucent to uniformly white at its thickest point.
7. 7
   Add the clams and mussels. Cover the pan only at this stage to trap steam. Cook for 3–4 minutes until all shells have opened. Discard any that remain closed. Sound: the popping and clicking of opening shells subsides, indicating the batch is done.
8. 8
   Remove the pan from the heat. Rest the stew uncovered for 5 minutes so the fish relaxes. Drizzle with raw olive oil, scatter torn flat-leaf parsley over the surface, and season with fine sea salt. Taste: the finish should carry sweet caramelised pepper as the bass note beneath briny shellfish and tomato acidity, with the raw oil rounding the back palate.