← Nouns Cooking · Italian

Ingredients

• 600 g octopus or cuttlefish, cleaned and cut into pieces
• 400 g Squid, cleaned and cut into rings
• 800 g firm white fish (monkfish, gurnard, hake), cut into large chunks
• 500 g Mussels, scrubbed and debearded
• 6 large raw prawns, shell on
• 1 Onion, finely chopped
• 1 celery stick, finely chopped
• 4 cloves Garlic, chopped
• 1 Red chilli, chopped
• 2 sprigs Sage
• 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 250 ml dry red wine
• 1 tbsp Tomato purée (paste)
• 700 g Passata
• 750 ml fish stock
• 6 slices slices of rustic bread
• 1 clove garlic clove, halved, for the toast
• 1 handful Parsley, chopped
• Salt

Method

1. Warm the oil in a wide, deep pot over medium heat. Cook the onion, celery, garlic, chilli and sage for 8 min until soft and fragrant.
2. Add the octopus and cook for 10 min, stirring. Pour in the wine and let it bubble for 3 min.
3. Stir in the tomato paste, passata and half the stock. Cover and simmer gently for 40 min, until the octopus is tender when pierced.
4. Add the squid and simmer for 10 min. Add the fish chunks and a little more stock if needed, then simmer for 6–8 min without stirring; just shake the pot so the fish stays whole.
5. Lay the mussels and prawns on top, cover and cook for 4–5 min, until the mussels open and the prawns turn pink. Discard any mussels that stay closed. Taste for salt.
6. Toast the bread and rub it with the cut garlic. Put a slice in each bowl, ladle the stew over it and finish with parsley.

Tips

• Frozen octopus is often more tender than fresh, because freezing softens it.
• Livornesi say a proper cacciucco needs at least five kinds of seafood, one for each c in its name.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Great Italian Chefs Memorie di Angelina GialloZafferano