Main Italian

Cacciucco (seafood stew)

Name: Cacciucco (seafood stew) recipe
Yield: 6
Cuisine: /italian
Ingredients: 60ml olive oil; 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped, plus 2 extra, halved; 1 small red chilli, finely chopped; Handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped; 150ml dry red wine; 800ml tomato passata; 2 (140g total) medium calamari tubes, cleaned, each cut into 4 crosswise; 300g baby octopus, cleaned; 340g fish; 200g green prawns, peeled (tails intact), deveined; 6 (300g total) scampi; 300g firm white fish fillets (such as snapper or flathead), skin on; 300g mussels, scrubbed, debearded; 1 long crusty bread stick, sliced diagonally

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by Emiko Davies

CHEF

Mar 15, 2024

“This special seafood stew hails from the Tuscan port city of Livorno and is, in my opinion, the king of seafood stews: it’s a celebration of the sea, rich with a variety of fish and crustaceans. Purists will tell you there should be 13 different types of fish (others are happy with five – one for each ‘C’ in the name of the stew), tomatoes, red wine and just a warming hint of heat. It’s undoubtedly the mixture of different types of seafood here (and at least one in whole form, not just fillets) that is what contributes to the deep flavour of this soup. In Tuscany, you would commonly find flake, red mullet, sea bream, gurnard, scorpion fish, even moray eels, which are all typical fish in this part of the Mediterranean.” – Emiko Davies. You'll need a suitably large, deep pan to fit all of this seafood, ideally so the whole fish can lay flat across the diameter.

1/4 cup (60ml) olive oil
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped, plus 2 extra, halved
1 small red chilli, finely chopped
Handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped
150ml dry red wine
800ml tomato passata
2 (140g total) medium calamari tubes, cleaned, each cut into 4 crosswise
300g baby octopus, cleaned
1 (340g) whole white-flesh fish (we used bream), cleaned and scaled
200g green prawns, peeled (tails intact), deveined
6 (300g total) scampi
300g firm white fish fillets (such as snapper or flathead), skin on
300g mussels, scrubbed, debearded
1 long crusty bread stick, sliced diagonally

Method

1.

Heat oil in a large saucepan (see note) over medium-low heat. Cook the garlic, chilli and half the parsley for 3 minutes until gently sizzling. Pour over the red wine and increase heat to medium. Simmer for 2 minutes.
2.

Add the passata, along with 1 cup (250ml) water. Add a pinch of fine salt (not too much) and freshly ground black pepper, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, for another 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3.

Stir through calamari and octopus, which need the longest cooking time, and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Arrange fish on top of stew (you can chop into large chunks if you don’t have a large enough pan, but make sure to include the whole fish) and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes, without stirring. Arrange the remaining seafood on top and simmer, covered, for 5 minutes, without stirring. Check seasoning. Remove from heat and stand, covered, to keep warm and rest while you make the toast.
4.

Toast the bread slices until golden, then rub with cut sides of the extra garlic. Place in shallow bowls and ladle over the cacciucco. Serve sprinkled with the remaining parsley.