Tuscan-Style Seafood Stew

Serves 4

Have you ever eaten food in Europe and then tried to enjoy the same dish in the United States, only to be disappointed? Well, cacciucco, the Tuscan fish stew, and bouillabaisse, its French cousin, are two dishes that often elicit this reaction. The primary reason is that an ingredient crucial to both soups—scorpionfish or racasse rouge—is difficult to find on this side of the Atlantic. But this recipe, by using two relatively oily fish (bluefish and mackerel), creates a flavor that comes pretty close.

 

1¹/₄ cups olive oil

8 cloves garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped

1 large carrot, peeled and coarsely chopped

1 small red onion, peeled and minced

¹/₂ teaspoon crushed red pepper Coarse salt

Freshly ground black pepper

³/₄ cup minced flat-leaf parsley leaves

1 pound skinless cod fillet, cut into 1-inch cubes

1 cup dry white wine

¹/₂ cup distilled white vinegar

4 cups coarsely chopped canned plum tomatoes (about 8 tomatoes)

8 ounces skinless bluefish, cut into 1-inch cubes

8 ounces skinless mackerel, cut into 1-inch cubes

8 ounces skinless swordfish, cut into 1-inch cubes

8 ounces sea scallops

8 ounces mussels, scrubbed and debearded

8 ounces small clams, cleaned and scrubbed

12 slices 1-inch-thick country or peasant bread

 

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.

2. Heat ¹/₂ cup of the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pot large enough to hold all the ingredients over medium heat until hot but not smoking. Add the garlic, carrot, onion, and crushed red pepper, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is lightly browned, about 7 minutes. Add ¹/₂ cup of the parsley and stir to combine.

3. Add half the cod (which will break down and help thicken the broth), along with the wine, and simmer until the wine reduces by two-thirds, about 5 minutes. Stir in the vinegar and tomatoes and simmer for 10 minutes.

4. Add the remaining cod, the bluefish, mackerel, swordfish, and scallops. Season with salt and pepper and give a gentle stir. Then add the mussels and clams, letting them rest on top of the stew. Cover the pot and simmer gently until the mussels and clams have opened, 5 to 10 minutes.

5. While the mussels are steaming, lay the slices of bread on a baking sheet and brush both sides with the remaining olive oil. Toast in the oven until browned, about 5 minutes, then turn and brown on the other side. Remove the baking sheet from the oven.

6. Ladle some soup into each of 4 bowls and place a few clams and mussels on top of each serving. Sprinkle some of the remaining ¹/₄ cup parsley over each bowl. Serve each portion with 3 slices of fried bread.

VARIATIONS

Seafood Pasta

For an unusual seafood pasta, toss the stew with cooked angel hair pasta. A 1-pound box will stretch this to serve up to 8 people.

TOMORROW’S TABLE

Bouillabaisse Soup

Take any leftover soup from Tuscany to the West Coast of France: Remove any remaining clams and puree the soup in a food processor. When you reheat the soup over low heat, add a pinch of saffron threads (see note, or a splash of Pernod—or both—and stir in 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil. Serve with ¹/₂-inch rounds cut from a baguette, toasted, and spread with Aïoli.