Recipe: Cacciucco (Livornese Fish Stew)
While Tuscany is perhaps better known among travelers for its “landfood” dishes — the giant T-bone bistecca alla fiorentina, wild boar ragù, lardo di Colonnata, and so on — the fish-and-seafood stew called cacciucco (kah-CHOO-koh) is the most beloved Tuscan seafood dish. It originated with the fishermen in the port of Livorno. After selling most of their catch, they used what was left to make lunch for themselves.
There’s plenty of room for improvisation when making cacciucco, but the guiding principle is to include as many different types of fish as possible — some large, some quite small. In fact, tradition has it that there should be at least five kinds of fish in the stew...one for each C in the name.
Ingredients for 4 to 6 Servings:
4½ pounds (2 kilograms) assorted fresh fish (often including triglia, red mullet)
8 ounces (225 milliliters) extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped coarsely
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 fresh peperoncino (hot red pepper); if you don’t have this, use red pepper flakes to taste
12 ounces (350 grams) peeled Italian plum tomatoes, preferably San Marzano type
4 tablespoons (about 15 grams) chopped fresh parsley
6 fresh basil leaves, torn into strips
1 cup (250 milliliters) dry white wine
3¾ cup (850 milliliters) water
Salt to taste
Wash all the fish carefully. Cut the bigger pieces into chunks; leave the smaller fish whole (you can remove the head and tail if you like — but remember that fish heads supply a lot of flavor).
Set a large, heavy-bottomed casserole dish atop the stove, and heat the oil over medium heat. Then add the onion, garlic, and peperoncino and sauté until the onion becomes translucent. Add the tomatoes, parsley, basil, wine, and water and stir. Add the larger fish and cook for 5 minutes. Then add the smaller fish. Stir gently so that all the flavors combine, but be careful not to break the fish. Cover and cook over low heat until the fish is tender (about 30 minutes). Salt to taste and serve.
Cook's note: It’s customary to place a couple of slices of garlic-scented toasted Tuscan bread at the bottom of the diner's bowl before serving the cacciucco on top of it.
Suggested wine: Vernaccia di San Gimignano or another Tuscan white
(Recipe courtesy of Fred Plotkin, co-author of Rick Steves Italy for Food Lovers book.)