Italian Fish Stew – Brodetto di pesce

A Brodetto di pesce is something in between a fish soup and a stew. It does not take long to prepare and as long as the fish is fresh it will make a delicious meal indeed.
You can learn quite quickly how to distinguish old fish from fresh: look how shiny its skin is and if the eye looks tired and cloudy. It is more difficult when it has been already filleted. Another way is to smell it: if its smell is too fishy then it is definitely old. Fresh fish should just smell of the sea.
For this dish I bought whatever fish I found available at my fishmonger. You can use any fish you like. Ideally a mixture of fish and shellfish will be ideal.
If you like to add a bit of "heat" to this dish you can chop a chilly and stir fry it with the onion and garlic at the beginning.
- Prep Time : 40 minutes
- Cook Time : 25 minutes
Ingredients
- mixed fresh fish cleaned - 1 Kg
- onion - 1
- chopped parsley - 2 tbsp
- white wine - a dash
- salt and pepper
- white wine vinegar - 1 tbsp
- tomato sauce - 300 ml or 4 fresh tomatoes
- garlic clove - 2 finely chopped
- olive oil - 3 tbsp + extra to sprinkle
Instructions
Clean the fish and cut it into bite-sized pieces. Clean and scrub the shellfish
Stir fry the onion and the garlic with 3 tbsp of olive oil. When translucent add the tomato sauce and cook for 8-10 minutes
Add the fish, parsley, salt and pepper, white wine and vinegar and cook for 3-4 minutes then add the shellfish and cook for a further 5 minutes until the fish has cooked
Sprinkle some extra olive oil over the dish and enjoy with fresh rustic bread to mop up the juices
Che brava, la zuppa di pesce l’adoro, e tu l’hai preparata perfettamente! Un piatto a dir poco invitante! Un abbraccio!
Stew or soup…as long as there are seafood in it, I love it!
I really, REALLY wish I had access to such lovely fresh seafood, Alida! You make the most delicious meals with fish and shellfish and I’m also so envious because I know that what I have access to just wouldn’t taste the same… Love this sound of this fish stew and thanks so much for sharing!
Any fish you could find would do Mark. Even if it is not shellfish. It is freshness that matters. As always my pleasure to share with you!
Ciao Alida, such a delicious looking stew, are we allowed to pop in to dip our breads:)? x Ozlem
Yes please… the more the merrier X
I would happily get my fingers dirty and get straight into those shellfish! It looks mighty delicious 🙂
Thank you Lisa!
Pingback: Ten at Ten: Stellar Seafood Recipes | Foodies 100