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1
Warm the olive oil in a wide, heavy-based pan over a medium flame. Add the garlic and onion and cook until the onion is soft and translucent but without colour — the base should smell sweet and gentle, not sharp.
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2
Pour in the white wine vinegar. Allow it to reduce by half, then add the tomato (southern version) or saffron water (northern version). Stir once to combine and cook the base for five minutes until it tightens slightly and the raw acidity mellows — the broth should smell bright and oceanic, not harsh.
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3
Add the cuttlefish strips. They require the longest cooking and must go in first — this is where the dish lives or dies: each fish variety enters the pan in strict order of its required cooking time, and any deviation collapses the stew into ruin. Cuttlefish cook for eight to ten minutes, until they have begun to yield and the broth has taken on some of their ink and body.
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4
Add the scorpionfish and gurnard. These firm-fleshed fish require five to seven minutes. Add a ladleful of water if the broth seems tight. Do not stir — tilt and swirl the pan only. The flesh should just begin to pull from the bone at the thickest point.
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5
Add the mullet and sole. After three to four minutes, add the mantis shrimp, mussels, and clams. Cover the pan. Cook for a further three to four minutes until the mussel and clam shells have opened fully and the delicate fish flesh is opaque to the bone — discard any shells that remain closed.
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6
Remove from the heat. Add a final splash of white wine vinegar directly into the broth. Taste: the broth should be deeply oceanic, slightly tangy, and clean-finishing. Each fish variety should remain identifiable — not a purée, not a collapse.
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7
Place two slices of well-toasted country bread in each wide bowl. Ladle the brodetto over the bread, ensuring each portion receives a representative selection of fish. The toast should absorb the broth at the base while its surface remains firm enough to support the fish — if it dissolves immediately, it was not toasted enough.