Caciucco fish stew (a.k.a. Zuppa di pesce - Caciucco)

Preparation: 1 hour
Cooking: 1 hour
   
Difficulty: Medium

In Italy there are many varieties of fish stew, probably one for each region on the coastline. Each one has a distinct regional name: cacciucco, ciuppin, burrida, brodetto friulano are just some of the ones I can name. Furthermore, the recipes can also vary from town to town or even family to family depending on the local culinary traditions, the type of fish available etc.; but this is Italy and you will never find the Italians all agreeing on something! Here, I am going to show how to prepare the caciucco, my favourite, which you can taste if you have the chance to go to the town of Livorno in Tuscany. This dish is similar to the French "Bouillabaisse."

Now, to keep it simple, a good Italian fish stew requires a mix of white fish and shellfish. You need some whole fish called "pesce con lisca" (whole fish with bones) that you will only use for enhancing the stock and some fish called "pesce da taglio" (usually boneless large round fish sold in cutlets or fillets). About shellfish, you need some crustaceans and some molluscs. Having said that, you can prepare a fantastic fish stew using the varieties of seafish available in your area, no matter if you live along the mediterranean coastline or in the northern most part of Europe.

I live on the West coast of Scotland and I have never had any problem finding what I need and I cannot taste any difference between the fish stew I prepare here and the fish stew I used to prepare in Italy. All you need is a good fishmonger!

When buying fish just remember that the varieties of fish you can find at the fishmonger are not present throughout the year, so you need to be flexible and identify the closest possible substitutes (that comes with experience).

SERVES 6-8 PEOPLE