In short. Two kilos of mixed fish — scorpionfish, squid, cuttlefish, mussels, clams, mullet — in a tomato base, cooked half an hour in a covered pan and served on home-made toast.
A fisherman’s dish, in the literal sense: it was made with what did not sell. The variety is the recipe, and the order in which things go into the pan is the only technique.
Ingredients
- 2 kg of assorted fish: scorpionfish, squid, cuttlefish, mussels, clams, mullet
- 500 g of peeled tomatoes
- celery, onion, parsley
- extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper
- home-made toast, to serve
Method
1. Preparation. Scale and gut the fish. Brush and open the mussels and clams, keeping the shell with the mollusc.
2. The base. In a large pan brown the minced onion and celery in oil. Add the peeled tomatoes and the minced parsley and cook for five minutes.
3. In order. Add the cuttlefish and squid. After another five minutes add the shellfish, the scorpionfish cut into pieces, and the rest of the fish.
4. Cooking. Season with salt and pepper and cook for half an hour in a covered pan. Serve on toasted home-made bread.
Why the order matters. Cuttlefish and squid need far longer than delicate white fish. Putting everything in at once gives you either rubbery squid or fish that has fallen apart — which is why the recipe stages them five minutes apart.
More on the second courses page.
