TABELIAAUTHENTIC RECIPE
Cacciucco alla LivorneseLivorno-Style Cacciucco
Livorno’s hearty seafood stew, made with at least 5 kinds of seafood in a chili-spiked tomato base. The word cacciucco evolved from a disparaging name into a source of local pride. It is served over garlic toast.
AUTHENTICITY SCORE
Authenticity Score
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Ingredients (4 servings)
- OctopusIf raw, rub thoroughly with coarse salt to remove the slime. Separate the tentacles and pound to tenderize.400 g
- CuttlefishCut into rings; discard the ink sac.300 g
- Scorpionfish or gurnardCut into 3 cm chunks.400 g
- PrawnsShells on.200 g
- MusselsShells on; wash thoroughly.300 g
- Canned whole peeled tomatoes400 g
- Red wine200 ml
- Dried red chiliDefines cacciucco’s character; do not skimp.2 pieces
- GarlicCrushed.4 cloves
- Toasted Tuscan breadRub with garlic before laying in the serving bowls.8 slices
- Extra virgin olive oil80 ml
Method
Prepare the seafood
- 1 Sprinkle the octopus with 2 tbsp coarse salt and rub thoroughly to remove the slime. Rinse well under running water.
- 2 Separate the tentacles and pound to tenderize.
- 3 Cut the cuttlefish into rings and remove the ink sac.
- 4 Cut the scorpionfish into 3 cm chunks.
- 5 Crush 4 garlic cloves.
Sauté the octopus and cuttlefish
- 1 Put 4 tbsp olive oil, the crushed garlic and chili in a heavy pot over medium heat.
- 2 Once fragrant, add the octopus and cuttlefish and sauté over high heat for 5 minutes.
Ready when
Continue when the surfaces have lightly colored.
Simmer with wine and tomatoes
- 1 Pour in 200 ml red wine and cook off the alcohol.
- 2 Crush the whole tomatoes by hand and add them, cover and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes.
Ready when
After 30 minutes, continue when the octopus and cuttlefish are tender.
Add the remaining seafood
- 1 Add the scorpionfish and prawns and simmer for another 10 minutes.
- 2 Add the mussels, cover and cook for 5 minutes.
Ready when
The stew is ready when all the mussels have opened.
Caution
Discard any mussels that do not open.
Ladle over the toast
- 1 Line deep plates with toast rubbed with garlic.
- 2 Ladle over the seafood and its broth and serve.
About this dish
Livorno is a port city in Tuscany. Once a vital center of Mediterranean trade, it was a multicultural city where Turks, Jews, Greeks and Arabs mingled. Cacciucco emerged from that history.
One theory traces the word cacciucco to the Turkish küçük, meaning small things. True to its name, it is a fisherman’s dish of small fish, crustaceans and mollusks left at the market, simmered in wine and tomatoes. A Livornese saying holds that cacciucco contains 5 Cs, so it must contain at least 5 kinds of fish.
Its foundation is a powerful soffritto of garlic, chili and red wine. Fish simmer in layers within it before being served over toasted bread.
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