Stewed Moscardini

Stewed moscardini is a classic fish dish, tasty and rich in tradition. Let’s see how to prepare it together.

Ingredients

• 1 kg of cleaned moscardini
• 400 g of peeled tomatoes
• 1 glass of white wine
• 2 cloves of garlic
• Chopped parsley to taste
• Extra virgin olive oil to taste
• Salt to taste
• Pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Start by washing the moscardini well under cold running water. Ensure that they have been properly cleaned (head and innards removed, and eyes taken out).
2. In a large pot, heat a drizzle of oil and add the garlic cloves, allowing them to lightly brown. You can remove them if you prefer a less intense garlic flavor, or leave them in for a stronger taste.
3. Add the moscardini to the pot and let them sauté for a few minutes over high heat.
4. Deglaze with the white wine and allow the alcohol to evaporate.
5. Once the wine has evaporated, add the peeled tomatoes, which you can lightly crush with a fork. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Lower the heat, cover the pot, and let the moscardini cook for at least 40 minutes, until they are tender. If the sauce dries out too much during cooking, add a little water.
7. Once cooked, sprinkle with freshly chopped parsley.

Serve the moscardini hot, perhaps accompanied by toasted bread or polenta.

Curiosity

Moscardini are often confused with calamaretti, but they are actually two different species. Moscardini have particularly tender flesh and are highly prized in Mediterranean cuisine, especially for the preparation of sauces and seafood main courses. When preparing this dish, the aim is to maintain a good balance between the savoriness of the fish and the intense aroma of the sauce in which they slowly cook.