1 kgwholewhite-fleshed
fish(about2 fish),such
asyellowfinbream
60 ml(1/4cup)oliveoil,
plusextrafordrizzling
1 smallfennelbulb,
coarselychopped,plus
fennelfronds,torn,toserve
1 onion,coarselychopped
1 garlicclove,thinlysliced
150 mldrywhitewine
400 gmcannedcrushed
tomatoes
1 tspwhitewinevinegar
400 gmblackmussels,
scrubbed,debearded
200 gmclams,soakedincold
waterfor 15 minutes
8 rawprawns
1 calamari,cleaned,
thinlysliced
Crusty bread, to serve1 Removeheadsfromfishand
reserve.Removefilletsfrom
fish,cutfleshinto5cmpieces
andrefrigerateuntil required.
Reservebones.
2 Coarselychopfishheads
and bones and add to asaucepan.Covercompletely
withwaterandbringtothe
boilovermedium-highheat,
skimmingsurface,thenreduce
heattolowandsimmeruntil
stockhasa goodfishyflavour
(1 hour).Strainandreserve.
3 Heatoilin a saucepanover
low-mediumheat,addfennel,
onionandgarlic,andcookuntil
verytender(20-30minutes).
Increaseheattohigh,add
wineandsimmer(5minutes).
Addtomato,vinegarand
600mlstock(orenoughto
createa thinsauce),bringtoa
simmerovermedium-highheat
andsimmeruntilwellflavoured
(25-35minutes).Passthrough
a mouliorblenduntilfine,and
strainthrougha sieve into a
cleansaucepan.
4 Bringtoa simmerover
mediumheat.Addmusselsand
clams,cover,andcookuntil
theystarttoopen(2minutes).
Removeshellfishandset
aside.Bringbacktoa simmer
overmediumheat,addfish
andpoach(1 minute),then
addprawnsandcalamari,
andcookuntilseafoodis
cooked(2-3minutes).Return
shellfishtothepanandstir
gently.Seasontotaste,drizzle
withoil,topwithfennelfronds
and serve with crusty bread.Brodetto
SERVES4 // PREPTIME 20 MINS//
COOK2 HRS 15 MINS(PLUSSOAKING)
Here,we’vesourcedlocal,
sustainableAustralian
seafood.Pictured p89.opendisplaysofthatveryItaliansenseoffiercelocalpride,
campanilismo(literally,anattachmenttothebelltowerofone’s
placeofbirth).InAncona,whichoncerivalledVeniceasan
Adriaticseafaringpower,I rememberseeingtwoold-timersalmost
comingtoblowsinanargumentovertheirrespectiverecipes.
Asa ruleofthumb,fromAnconanorthwardsbrodetto
is madewith 13 typesoffish(anypermutationofthelikes
ofscorpionfish,monkfish,greaterweever,sole,redmullet,
turbot,hake,JohnDory,greymullet,skate,octopus,squid,
scampi,kingprawnandrazor-shell),supposedlyoneforeach
oftheparticipantsat theLastSupper,tomatoanda splashof
vinegar,whereassouthwardsit containsninetypes,whichare
rolledinflourtothickenthestew.InPortoRecanati,they
eschewtomatoandaddsaffron,whichgivesa lovelygolden
colour,butinSanBenedettodelTrontotheyenrichtheir
vrudèttewithgreenpeppersandtomatoes,a reminderofthe
daysinwhichvegetableswereboardedonboatstoaddvitamins
tothefishermen’sdiet,andmasa,a mixtureofwaterand
vinegar,withwhichtheyquenchedtheirthirst(captainsbeing
loathtoletthemdrinkwineonthejob).Another“southern”
usagethatbeginsroughlyinSanBenedettoandspillsover
intoAbruzzois theadditionofpeperoncino.
Ultimately,though,brodettois a classiccaseofa dishthat
cameintobeingasa wayofmakingvirtueofnecessity.Which
is whya friendofmine,theMarchefood-and-winewriter
AntonioAttorre,likensit toa jazzstandard,a themeopen
toinfinitevariations,andalsowhy,albeitfollowinga guiding
thread,notwobrodettiarealike.
BackinFano,Maria’sinterpretationis simplicityitself.In
a closelyobservedritualandwithperfecttiming,sheplopsthe
fishshehappenstohaveat handinorderoffirmnessofflesh
andsize– andaccordingtoseason – intoa lightsoffritto,finely
choppedonionandparsleysoftenedinextra-virginoliveoilin
oneofherearthenwarepots.Shethenpoursoverthema sauce
ofstrainedfishstock,tomatoandmoreonionandparsley.A
splashofwhitewinevinegarandallthatremainsis toleavethe
stewtosimmerforanhourorsooverthesmoulderingembers
ofthecharcoalgrill.“That’sallthereis toit,”saysMaria.“The
brodettocooksitself.”
Theresultingflavouris thesumoftheparts,elemental
withallthefleshysweetnessofmarinelife,bearingoutthe
pronouncementofDomenica,who’sanEasternphilosophy
buffandtalkslikeConfucius.“Agoodbrodetto shouldn’t
taste of fish, it should taste of the sea.”●