Brodetto di Vasto — Adraiatic Fish Stew

Ingredients

• For the soffritto
• 1 large yellow pepper (peperone giallo), deseeded, finely sliced
• 1 large white onion, finely sliced
• 80 ml extra-virgin olive oil
• For the broth
• 1 sachet (0.125 g) saffron, preferably Zafferano dell'Aquila DOP; dissolved in the white wine before use
• 150 ml dry white wine
• 400 g fresh tomatoes or passata, fresh tomatoes roughly chopped
• First sequence — cephalopods (10 minutes)
• 250 g cuttlefish, cleaned, body cut into rings or strips
• 250 g squid, cleaned, body cut into rings
• Second sequence — firm fish (8 minutes)
• 300 g scorpionfish (scorfano), cleaned, cut into large pieces on the bone
• 300 g gurnard (capone), cleaned, cut into large pieces on the bone
• 300 g ray (razza), cut into portions
• Third sequence — delicate fish and shellfish (5 minutes)
• 300 g delicate Adriatic fish, e.g. sole or small mullet, cleaned and left whole or halved
• 300 g shellfish, e.g. mussels or clams, scrubbed; shells on
• To serve
• 4 large slices country bread, toasted

Method

1. 1
   Dissolve the saffron in the white wine in a small bowl and set aside. The wine must carry the saffron into the broth; direct contact with hot oil or dry heat will scorch the threads and turn them bitter.
2. 2
   Warm the olive oil in a wide, heavy pot over a medium flame. Add the sliced onion and yellow pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until both are fully soft and the pepper has lost all resistance — the onion should be translucent, the pepper collapsed and sweet, with no raw edge remaining.
3. 3
   Pour in the saffron-wine mixture and let it bubble for one minute, then add the tomatoes or passata. Stir to combine and simmer until the tomatoes have collapsed into the base and the broth is a uniform deep golden colour — this is where the dish lives or dies: if the saffron has dissolved evenly in the wine, the broth will be bright and golden throughout; if it has not, the colour will be uneven and the floral warmth of the saffron will not carry.
4. 4
   Add the cuttlefish and squid. Do not stir — shake the pot to settle them into the broth. Cook for 10 minutes. The cephalopods are ready when they have turned fully opaque and have begun to yield their own liquid into the broth.
5. 5
   Add the firm fish — scorpionfish, gurnard, and ray — arranging them in a single layer as far as possible. Shake the pot to nestle them into the broth. Cook for 8 minutes. The fish is ready when the flesh at the thickest point begins to part from the bone under the gentlest pressure.
6. 6
   Add the delicate fish and shellfish. Shake the pot. Cook for 5 minutes. The shellfish must be fully open and the delicate fish opaque through to the centre — discard any shellfish that remain closed.
7. 7
   Taste the broth before seasoning. The shellfish will have contributed salt during cooking; adjust only after tasting. The finished broth should be slightly thick — not watery — from the collapsed tomatoes and the fish gelatin released during cooking. Serve directly from the pot into wide bowls, with a large slice of toasted country bread beneath or alongside each portion.