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Tuscan Cacciucco

17/11/2023

Cacciucco is a typical fish soup from Tuscan cuisine, particularly that of Livorno. It is a rich and flavorful dish that combines various types of fish and shellfish. Here is the recipe:

Ingredients

  • 500 g of soup fish (such as scorpionfish, gurnard, John Dory)
  • 300 g of squids
  • 300 g of small octopuses or moscardini
  • 200 g of prawns or large shrimps
  • 300 g of mussels
  • 200 g of peeled tomatoes
  • 4 cloves of garlic
  • 1 hot chili pepper
  • 1 glass of robust red wine
  • 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
  • Salt to taste
  • Pepper to taste
  • Slices of stale Tuscan bread
  • Chopped parsley to taste

Preparation

  1. Start by cleaning all the fish: for the mussels, scrape them and remove the byssus; for the squids clean them, removing the skin and cutting them into rings; for the octopuses or moscardini, make sure they are clean and depending on size, leave them whole or cut them.
  2. In a large pot, heat the oil and add the crushed garlic and chili pepper. Sauté until the garlic turns golden.
  3. Add the squids and octopuses and let them get some color.
  4. Deglaze with the red wine and let the alcohol evaporate.
  5. Add the peeled tomatoes, crushing them, and season with salt and pepper. Simmer for about 20 minutes.
  6. Add the fish for the soup, cut into pieces if necessary, and cook for another 15-20 minutes.
  7. Add the mussels and prawns. Cook until the mussels open and the prawns are cooked through, this should take about 5-10 minutes. Be sure to discard any mussel that doesn’t open.
  8. In the meantime, toast the bread slices and arrange them at the bottom of individual bowls.
  9. Once the cacciucco is ready, pour it over the toasted bread slices.
  10. Finish with a sprinkle of chopped parsley and serve it hot.

Trivia

Cacciucco is a dish that originates from the tradition of Tuscan fishermen using less valuable or leftover fish. It is said that the more varieties of fish used, the more authentic and rich the taste. And don’t forget to pair the Cacciucco with a good Tuscan red wine, which can stand up to the intense flavors of the dish.

Tuscan Cacciucco