Brodetto Vastese has to be Abruzzo’s most famous fish soup, there are other great pretenders along its Adriatic coast but it has an intrinsic simplicity and flexibility: it doesn’t require stock, and fish type is according to what’s available, ensuring that its crown remains sitting ever so snugly.  Set in stone however are the shellfish,  the dish’s crown jewels, which impart layers of sweetness.

If you have ever visited Vasto, you’ll see the orto, the small family plots of land that wind up from Sirenetta  (the Little Mermaid) to the city centre; it is here in the vegetable gardens of the nineteenth century that Brodetto Vastese began, as the fishermen bartered and exchanged their catch of the day with the orto owners.  Off they went home with their smaller 6 or 7 smaller-sized rather bony fish, some shellfish, garlic, peppers, herbs and depending on the season some cherry tomatoes.  After washing their catch, they would wind them into a flat terracotta dish called a “tijelle” according to its cooking time.  To break a family’s “tijelle” meant to lose a heritage of flavour so they’re always highly prized as they are passed down generation after generation.  When cooking think  “James Bond” shake the dish don’t stir!    Once cooked and the fish eaten my favourite part, the  mop up “lu vrudatte” with some crusty bread.

Brodette alla Vastese

la Trabocco Punta Tufano

The recipe for Vasto's legendary fish soup, Brodo all Vastese

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Prep Time 40 minutes mins

Cook Time 55 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Servings 4

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 4 Scorpion Fish (or Rock Fish) 
• 4 Skate Wings
• 4 Cod Fillets
• 4 Red Mullet
• 4 King Prawns
• 1/2 Squid
• 8 Mussels
• 2 Chopped Cloves of Garlic
• 200 ml Extra Vrgin Olive Oil
• 1 Red Pepper
• 250 g Cherry Tomatoes
• Fresh Chili according to taste

Instructions

 

• Soak the mussels and clams in salty water and then wash and drain to ensure they are sand free.
• Wash clean and trim the fish leaving the heads intact.
• Wash and clean the squid and crustaceans and chop and  trim.
• Add olive oil to your pan and sauté your finely chopped garlic and chopped parsley.
• First lay the squid that you have cut into small pieces and cook at least 15 min
• Add the prawns and skate and cook for another 10-15 min.
• Add the fish and cook for another 15 minutes.
• Add the mussels, clams and tomatoes cover and cook for 10-15 min.
• Add a sprinkling of chopped parsley to give more colour to the dish on serving.

Keyword Vasto, Brodo, Fish, 7 Fishes Recipes

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Author: Sam Dunham

Sam is a very lucky midlife 'mamma' to A who is 13 and juggles working as a freelance SEO copywriter & teaches IGCSEs at Istituo Cristo Re in Rome. She is the founder of the Life In Abruzzo Cultural Association, co-founder of Let's Blog Abruzzo and 'English in the Woods' initiative.