The Marche Adriatic coast — each port town has its variant, from Fano (onion-forward) to Ancona (saffron-forward) to San Benedetto del Tronto (tomato-heavy). The 13-fish version is considered the complete brodetto; the number is sometimes said to mirror the 13 guests at the Last Supper.
The Marche has one of the longest Adriatic coastlines in Italy, and each port town from Pesaro to San Benedetto del Tronto has its own version of brodetto — the Adriatic fish stew that is the counterpart of Tuscany's cacciucco, Puglia's brodet, and Liguria's ciuppin. The Marchigiani brodetto uses a wider variety of fish than most (typically 13 varieties — a number with culinary tradition behind it), a vinegar-forward base, and saffron from the nearby Abruzzese production. The broth is not creamy or thick — it is clean, golden-orange from the saffron, with a slight acidity from the vinegar, and intensely flavoured from the fish.
The Marchigiani brodetto broth is golden from saffron, slightly acid from vinegar, and tastes of the sea — each fish contributing a different note to the collective flavour. The mantis shrimp adds sweetness; the cuttlefish adds depth; the clams add brine. The bread soaked in the broth is as good as the fish.
The sequence of adding fish matters — firm fish first (monkfish, cuttlefish, dogfish), then medium-firm (sea bream, mullet), then delicate (langoustines, mantis shrimp, clams, mussels) in the last 5-7 minutes. Build the base: soften onion and garlic in olive oil, add white wine vinegar (a tablespoon or two — the Marchigiani brodetto is noticeably acidic), saffron dissolved in warm water, tomato (fresh or passata, not concentrated). Bring to a simmer, add the fish in sequence. Do not stir — shake the pan to prevent sticking. Total cooking time from adding the first fish: 20-25 minutes. Serve with grilled bread rubbed with garlic.
The cuttlefish ink, if the cuttlefish is cleaned properly (keeping the ink sac intact and piercing it into the stew), adds depth and turns the broth slightly grey-purple — traditional and excellent. In Ancona, mantis shrimp (cicale di mare) are considered essential to the brodetto. The bread for serving should be grilled over charcoal if possible — the char adds a bitterness that complements the savoury broth.
Adding all the fish at once — the different cooking times mean that delicate fish overcook before firm fish is tender. Stirring the stew — fragile fish break up; shake the pan instead. Reducing the vinegar — the acid note is characteristic; without it, the brodetto loses its identity. Using only one type of fish — the complexity of a proper brodetto comes from the interaction of many different fish stocks releasing simultaneously.
Elizabeth David, Italian Food; Slow Food Editore, Marche in Cucina