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Overhead shot of brodetto di pesce with open mussel and clam shells, pink shrimp, and garlic toast in a shallow bowl

Brodetto di Pesce all'Anconetana with Garlic Toast

A vinegar-brightened Adriatic fish stew with monkfish, mullet, cuttlefish, mussels, clams, and shrimp, served with garlic toast.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Soup / Stew
Cuisine: Regional (Le Marche, Abruzzo)
Calories: 415
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Soffritto and broth
  • 60 ml extra virgin olive oil / 4 tbsp
  • 1 yellow onion medium; finely chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic thinly sliced
  • 1 green bell pepper medium; diced
  • 3 tbsp white wine vinegar
  • 400 g canned whole peeled tomatoes crushed by hand
  • 500 ml fish stock
  • 250 ml water plus more as needed
  • salt to taste
  • black pepper to taste
Seafood
  • 300 g monkfish fillet cut into 4 cm chunks
  • 300 g red mullet fillets
  • 250 g cuttlefish cleaned, sliced into rings
  • 500 g mussels scrubbed and debearded
  • 500 g clams purged
  • 300 g shrimp shell-on
To serve
  • 8 slices crusty bread
  • 1 garlic clove halved, for rubbing
  • 2 tbsp olive oil for toasting

Method
 

Make the broth
  1. Heat 4 tbsp olive oil in a 30 cm / 12-inch wide shallow pan (tegame) over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 4 to 5 minutes until soft and translucent.
  2. Stir in the garlic and green bell pepper and cook for 2 minutes until fragrant.
  3. Pour in the vinegar and let it bubble for 30 seconds to cook off the sharp edge.
  4. Add the crushed tomatoes, fish stock, and water. Season with salt and pepper, bring to a gentle simmer, and cook uncovered for 10 minutes to let the flavors come together.
Add the seafood
  1. Add the cuttlefish first, since it needs the longest cooking. Simmer for 8 minutes.
  2. Add the monkfish and red mullet fillets. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes.
  3. Add the mussels and clams. Cover and cook for 4 to 5 minutes until the shells open. Discard any that stay closed.
  4. Add the shrimp and simmer, uncovered, for 2 to 3 minutes more until the fish flakes easily and reaches 145 F / 63 C, the shrimp turn pink, and the shells are fully open.
Toast and serve
  1. While the stew finishes, heat a splash of olive oil in a 10-inch / 25 cm skillet over medium heat and toast the bread slices for 1 to 2 minutes per side until golden. Rub each slice with the cut garlic clove while still warm.
  2. Ladle the brodetto into shallow bowls, dividing the seafood evenly, and serve with the garlic toast alongside or tucked into the broth.

Notes

  • Buy seafood the same day you plan to cook, brodetto doesn't hide age well.
  • Keep the broth thin, this isn't a thick chowder.
  • Add shellfish last so shells don't overcook and toughen.
  • Rub the toast with a raw garlic clove while it's still warm.