Cacciucco

Cacciucco is a stew of mixed fish and shellfish from the port city of Livorno, on the Tuscan coast of Italy. It is a traditional dish of the local fishing community and is still cooked across the city's trattorias.

What it really is

Cacciucco is built on a soffritto of onion, garlic and celery, cooked in olive oil with tomato and a little red chilli, to which a splash of red wine is often added. Several kinds of fish, typically including rockfish and the bony fish left over from the day's catch, are simmered in this base together with mollusc and crustacean pieces such as mussels, clams, squid and prawns. The fish is not filleted and is cooked only until just done, so the broth becomes thick and rich from the fish itself. The stew is ladled over slices of toasted bread that have been rubbed with garlic.

It is often compared with other Italian fish soups such as brodetto from the Adriatic coast and bouillabaisse from Provence. Cacciucco differs from brodetto mainly in its strong tomato and chilli base, and from bouillabaisse in its use of red wine and bread rather than saffron-led broth and rouille. Local tradition in Livorno also defines the dish by the variety of fish used, and recipes differ from household to household.

How it's served

• Served hot in a deep bowl, with several pieces of fish and shellfish in each portion
• Accompanied by slices of bread toasted and rubbed with garlic, which are placed in the bowl or on the side
• Eaten with a spoon and the hands, with shells and bones set aside on the side plate
• Typically a main course, often preceded by a light starter and followed by no dessert course in the traditional meal

How to write it on the menu

• Name the dish as Cacciucco alla livornese and list the main fish and shellfish in the bowl, such as squid, mussels, clams and prawns
• Flag CRUSTACEANS, MOLLUSCS, FISH and WHEAT (from the bread) on the allergen list
• State that the stew is tomato and chilli based and that it is made with red wine
• Say whether the bread is served on the side or inside the bowl, as this changes the portion