Eat the Bait, Mate! – By Anthony Davies
It’s been one of those trips, despite stocking up with cast netted prawns, mullet and even a couple of jigged up squid the Fish Gods have failed to deliver. Maybe a couple of just-legal fish, but not enough to feed the family. Or is it?
For generations the fishermen of Livorno in Italy were faced with a similar situation, after selling the bulk of their catch for much needed cash there wasn’t much left for a feed, this traditional recipe puts said leftovers to good use. Similar to the familiar Bouillabaisse of Marseilles, Cacciucco uses prawns and squid, bait if you like, and is lighter and spicier with chilli for a bit of zing.
Ingredients to serve 4
About 800 grams of mixed seafood, say 400g of mixed boneless fillets and a handful each of peeled prawns and cleaned squid, all cut into bite size chunks. I also use the wings and tentacles of our tender little local squid. Marinara mix from the supermarket deli also works well, just separate the fish pieces from the rest of the mix.
2 cloves garlic, minced.
1 small onion , finely chopped.
1 medium hot chilli or 2 or 3 birds eyes to taste, finely chopped.
1 x sachet tomato paste.
Half a cup of dry white wine. I always start with a full cup, but only half goes in the stew.
Olive oil for cooking, a handful of finely diced red capsicum for garnish, salt to taste.
I add a non-traditional ingredient, Master Foods hot chilli sauce. It isn’t sweet like most chilli sauces, and it adds a lovely colour to the dish. I can regulate the heat to my diners preference by adding more or less as required.
Serve with crusty bread or pasta.
Method
Cover the bottom of a deep frypan with olive oil and heat to medium. Add the chilli, onion and garlic and fry till the garlic is just starting to colour. Remove from the heat at once.
Add the squid and prawns, bring back to a low heat, cover and simmer gently, checking and stirring occasionally. The seafood should make enough liquid, but add a little water if needed. After 30 minutes add the wine and tomato paste, stirring to mix. Bring back to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for about 15 minutes, until the alcohol has boiled off and the stew is starting to reduce and thicken.
Add the fish pieces in order of firmness, trevally first, bream next, mullet and tailor last etc. Stir gently so as not to break up the fish, and don’t overcook, 10 minutes should be plenty. At this stage add the chilli sauce and salt to taste.
Serve in bowls, sprinkling over the chopped capsicum for extra colour and crunch. This soupy stew is traditionally served with crusty bread, but it also works well with pasta.
