Brodetto di Porto Recanati — White Brodetto with Saffron

Ingredients

• 150 ml extra-virgin olive oil, divided: for soffritto and for finishing
• 2 large white onions, very finely sliced
• 250 ml dry white wine
• 1 generous pinch (0.5 g) saffron, Abruzzese or Marchigiani — zafferano di Navelli or di Città della Pieve preferred; dissolved in 100 ml hot water for 10 minutes
• Firm fish (first addition)
• 300 g cuttlefish, cleaned, cut into strips
• 200 g squid, cleaned, cut into rings
• 250 g monkfish, trimmed, cut into thick medallions
• Medium fish (second addition)
• 250 g sea bream, scaled, gutted, cut into portions
• 200 g red mullet, scaled, gutted, left whole or halved
• 200 g gurnard, scaled, gutted, cut into portions
• Delicate fish and shellfish (third addition)
• 200 g mantis shrimp (cicale di mare), whole, unshelled
• 200 g clams, scrubbed and purged of sand
• 200 g langoustines, whole, unshelled
• to taste fine sea salt
• 4 thick slices country bread, toasted

Method

1. 1
   Pour most of the olive oil into a wide, heavy pot set over low heat. Add the very finely sliced onion and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 20–30 minutes. The onion must dissolve entirely into the oil — no texture should remain. The cook is done when the onion is pale gold, soft, and completely melted.
2. 2
   Pour in the dry white wine. Raise the heat to medium and reduce by half. Add the saffron dissolved in its hot water, stirring to distribute the colour through the base. The broth should turn a clear, deep amber. Reduce the heat to a steady simmer.
3. 3
   This is where the dish lives or dies. Add the firm fish — cuttlefish, squid, and monkfish — in a single layer. Cook at a steady simmer for 15 minutes. The cuttlefish and squid should have lost all translucency and begun to yield to gentle pressure; the monkfish should hold its shape but offer no resistance to a fork. Do not add the second batch until these tests are met.
4. 4
   Add the medium fish — sea bream, red mullet, and gurnard — laying them over the firm fish without stirring. Simmer for 8 minutes. The flesh at the thickest point should be just opaque and beginning to lift from the bone at the lightest touch.
5. 5
   Add the delicate fish and shellfish — mantis shrimp, clams, and langoustines — arranging them on top. Cover the pot and cook for 3–4 minutes. The dish is ready when every clam has opened and the langoustine shells have turned fully coral. Discard any clams that have not opened.
6. 6
   Season with fine sea salt. Drizzle the remaining raw olive oil over the surface. Serve directly from the pot, with thick slices of toasted country bread alongside. The broth should be concentrated and golden, not watery.