Livornese Cacciucco

A dense, dark seafood stew where the fish soaks up a rich red wine and tomato sauce. Briny aromas mingle with spicy chili and the punch of garlic-rubbed toasted bread.

• Prep time: 40 min
• Cook time: 50 min
• Difficulty: Medium
• Calories: 857
• Protein: 91 g
• Carbs: 65 g
• Fat: 20 g

Ingredients

• 50 ml Extra virgin olive oil
• 4 piece Garlic ( crushed )
• 1 piece Onion ( sliced )
• 1 piece Hot chili pepper ( chopped )
• 400 g Cuttlefish ( cut into pieces )
• 300 g Loligo vulgaris ( in rings )
• 200 ml Red wine
• 500 g Round tomato ( crushed )
• 400 g Trachyscorpia cristula echinata (Köhler 1869) ( in large chunks )
• 400 g Lophius budegassa ( cubed )
• 500 g Mytilus galloprovincialis ( cleaned )
• 8 piece Shrimp ( whole )
• 1 piece Parsley ( chopped )
• 4 piece Country bread ( sliced and toasted )
• 1 tbsp Tomato paste

Instructions

1. Aromatic base

   Heat olive oil in a large pan. Add crushed garlic, sliced onion, and chili. Let them color slightly until the garlic is golden and the aroma fills the room.

2. Cooking cephalopods

   Add the cut pieces of cuttlefish and squid. Let them release their juices, then deglaze with red wine. Reduce by half until the alcohol smell is gone.

3. Sauce reduction

   Stir in the crushed tomatoes and tomato paste. Simmer over low heat. The sauce should thicken and start to coat the back of a spoon.

4. Poaching the fish

   Delicately place the pieces of scorpion fish and monkfish. Stop stirring vigorously to avoid breaking the flesh. The fish is cooked when it becomes opaque and flakes easily.

5. Shellfish finish

   Add the mussels and shrimp on top. Cover. As soon as the mussels are wide open, the dish is ready. Sprinkle with chopped flat-leaf parsley.

Chef's tips

• Respect the order of the fish: firmest first to soften, most fragile at the end.
• Rub the toasted bread with a raw garlic clove just before serving; it's the soul of the dish.

Storage

Keep refrigerated for 24h. Reheat gently covered to avoid drying out the fish.