The fish stew is the symbol of the Mediterranean fishermen’s cuisine. In the past it was prepared on the boat by the fishermen themselves. In the 16th century, the Venetian cook Bartolomeo Scappi, praised the fishermen from Chioggia for making the best fish stew ever because they use freshly caught fish, wrote down the first fish stew recipe. It differs from place to place and each region has its own name for it: brujet, brodetto, broeto, il brudet, el brudet… Brodet is never the same because it depends on the species of fish used and the season. It may be made of one fish species only, but it is better if it’s made of several species. For a richer and sweeter taste, at least one crab or mantis shrimp as well as some cuttlefish and tomato paste, instead of fresh tomatoes, can be added to the fish. Some throw the fish directly into the sauce, without prior processing. However, in our region, the fish is coated with flour first and fried before being cooked. Nowadays, the fish stew is a very respected dish in the households but, unfortunately, it cannot be found in restaurants.
Ingredients:
- 10 warty crabs (2 per person)
- 1.5 kg of onions
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 4 parsley stems
- approx. 1 dl of vinegar
- half a tube of tomato paste
- 2 dl of tomato sauce (passata)
- salt and pepper
- CUTTLEFISH – as desired. Approximately one kilogram of cuttlefish chopped in larger pieces is needed for six crabs.
Procedure:
Put the onions in a large quantity of oil, half olive oil, half sunflower oil, season with salt and sauté until soft. When completely soft, add garlic and parsley and keep sautéing for a little bit longer.
If you are using cuttlefish, now is the right time to sauté them with the onions.
After about 10 minutes, add the warty crabs. Sauté 5-10 minutes on one side and then flip them over and sauté the other side for the exact the same time.
Then add a generous quantity of tomato paste a some tomato sauce. Sauté all for another 10 minutes and then add some vinegar.
Once the vinegar has evaporated, add water, just enough to cover the crabs, and cook for another 10-15 minutes.
This dish was usually accompanied by Istrian lasagnas, i.e. wide noodles.
Suggestions:
White vine may be used instead of vinegar, but it may give a bitter tang to the dish, so this is why vinegar is a preferred choice.
Cuttlefish are normally added because of the sweetness, which combines very well with warty crabs, but they are not a must.
