Brodetto di Porto Recanati

Porto Recanati, Macerata, Marche

The saffron-yellow fish stew of Porto Recanati on the Marche Adriatic coast — the most golden and aromatic of all Italian brodetti, distinguishable by its mandatory use of saffron from Navelli (L'Aquila) and the local catch of mazzola (gurnard), seppia (cuttlefish), gamberoni (large prawns), and the prized cicala di mare (mantis shrimp). Unlike the Ancona version which uses wine vinegar, Porto Recanati uses no acid — the saffron's bitter complexity provides the counterbalance. White onion, garlic, olive oil, white wine, and saffron are the only aromatics.

• Both use saffron as the defining aromatic of a mixed Mediterranean fish stew — Bouillabaisse uses rouille and toast as accompaniments, Brodetto Porto Recanati serves directly with bread, both treating saffron as the non-negotiable identity compound of the dish → Bouillabaisse Provençal
• Both are saffron-coloured fish stews from western Mediterranean fishing cultures with a broth concentrated by reduction — Catalan uses picada (fried bread and almonds) to thicken, Marchigiano relies on fish gelatin, both achieving a concentrated golden broth → Suquet de Peix Catalan

Intensely golden, saffron-perfumed, oceanic from multiple fish, with the sweetness of prawn and the chewy-tender bite of cuttlefish — the most aromatic of Italian brodetti