Brudet

Ingredients

Fish

• 1.5 kgmixed Adriatic fish and seafood, cut into thick pieces on the bone, from scorpion fish, conger, monkfish, John Dory, gurnard, squid and a few prawns

Stew

• 150 mlolive oil
• 3onions, finely chopped
• 6 clovesgarlic, sliced
• 2 tbsptomato paste
• 400 gtomatoes, chopped
• 150 mldry white wine
• 2 tbspred wine vinegar
• 1bay leaf
• 250 mlwater
• chopped parsley
• salt and pepper

Polenta

• 250 gcoarse maize flour
• 1 litrewater
• 1 tspsalt
• olive oil

Directions

1. Soften the onions very slowly in the olive oil for a full 20 minutes, until they have collapsed and turned sweet without taking any colour. There should be nearly as much onion by weight as there is fish, because the onion is the body of the sauce rather than a background flavouring.
2. Add the garlic and the tomato paste and cook for 3 minutes until the paste darkens.
3. Add the tomatoes, wine, vinegar, bay leaf and water and simmer for 15 minutes. The vinegar is not optional; it is what stops a rich, oily fish stew from cloying halfway through the bowl.
4. Lay the fish on top of the sauce in a single layer, starting with the firmest, which means the conger, monkfish and squid, then adding the softer fish two minutes later and the prawns last of all.
5. From this point do not stir. Move things by taking the pan by the handles and shaking it. A spoon shreds the fish, and a brudet is supposed to arrive as recognisable pieces on the bone.
6. Cook uncovered over a moderate heat for 20 minutes, shaking the pan every few minutes, until the sauce has reduced and darkened around the fish.
7. Meanwhile make the polenta by raining the maize flour into boiling salted water while whisking hard, then cooking it on the lowest heat, stirring often, for 40 minutes until it pulls from the sides.
8. Scatter parsley over the brudet and leave it off the heat for 10 minutes before serving, which lets the sauce settle into the fish.
9. Spoon polenta into shallow bowls, lay the fish on top and pour the sauce around it.

Technique

• Shake, never stir. If you remember one thing about brudet, that is the one.
• Every town from Istria to Dubrovnik has its own view on which fish belong in it, and the only firm rule is that there should be several kinds.
• It is cooked in a wide shallow pot rather than a deep one, so the fish sit in a single layer and the sauce reduces fast.

Substitutions

• Any bony, gelatinous fish available locally, using at least three different kinds.
• Fish stock in place of the water for a deeper sauce.

Variations

• The Neretva version, made with eel and frogs from the river delta.
• With mussels added for the last five minutes.
• The Istrian version, heavier on wine and lighter on tomato.

History

Adriatic fish stew cooked in a shallow pot and served with polenta; each town from Istria to Dubrovnik has its own mix of fish.

Frequently asked questions

What is Brudet?

Brudet is a soup & stew from Croatia: adriatic mixed-fish stew served over polenta. Adriatic fish stew cooked in a shallow pot and served with polenta; each town from Istria to Dubrovnik has its own mix of fish.

How long does Brudet take to make?

Brudet takes 30 min of preparation and 1 hr of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Brudet?

Yes, within limits. Any bony, gelatinous fish available locally, using at least three different kinds. Fish stock in place of the water for a deeper sauce.

What is the most important thing to get right in Brudet?

Soften the onions very slowly in the olive oil for a full 20 minutes, until they have collapsed and turned sweet without taking any colour. There should be nearly as much onion by weight as there is fish, because the onion is the body of the sauce rather than a background flavouring.