BRODETTO: THE COMMON THREAD ALONG MARCHE'S COAST

During your vacation at one of the amazing Marcheholiday rental homes on the beautiful Marche's coast or even inland, wherever you go from Pesaro to Ascoli Piceno looking to taste some local seafood dish, you will surely bump into the delicious Brodetto! Actually, this typical fish soup plays a leading role among the numerous dishes of Marche's culinary tradition and almost every city on the coast has its own special recipe of Brodetto. This regional speciality was born as a poor dish from the need to use the less valuable fish on the market, first of all by fishermen and sailors, who used to cook it directly on their boats with the few ingredients they had at their disposal. Then, it was so delicious that it started spreading even on the mainland!

One of the “capitals” of Brodetto is, with no doubt, Fano. If with Marcheholiday you have booked your holiday home near this beautiful seaside town, you will notice that Brodetto is a true speciality of Fano's restaurants. Did you know that this town is so proud of its dish that it hosts an event entirely dedicated to Brodetto? It's the Brodetto Festival, held every summer in Fano (in the month of July) and characterized by numerous events: cooking shows and lessons, music, conferences and much more! Everything is organized in perfect combination with the world of maritime tradition, and local food&wine culture... No matter if you are staying near Fano or somewhere inland in the province of Pesaro Urbino, a trip to the coastal town and its Brodetto festival is definitely worth it, an appointment not to be missed!

Let's continue our coastal trip by stopping at Ancona, and now we cannot fail to mention the typical Brodetto of the capital of Marche! According to the city's tradition, for its preparation you must use 13 fish varieties, which should remind the 13 participants of the Last Supper (some of Ancona's inhabitants say this recipe was invented for the Holy Week), while others claim that the 13 fish correspond to the 13 masks of the beautiful Calamo's Fountain that you can admire in the city. Another piece of advicce from the locals to prepare the perfect Brodetto: the fish must come from the sea of Ancona and be possibly bought right at the port on Thursday around 5 p.m. when the fishing boats return from the sea!

Moving further southwards, we get to Porto Recanati. If you are staying at your holiday home anywhere in the province of Ancona or Macerata, pay a visit to this pleasant and well equipped seaside town; once here, you must absolutely taste its special Brodetto! It is characterized by the absence of tomato sauce and the use of the typical wild Conero saffron that gives it a yellowish colour. Even Porto Recanati celebrates its soup with an important event, "The week of brodetto": it takes place every year in the first week of June and many local restaurants give you the opportunity to taste this delicious dish at a promotional price...an unmissable occasion!

Now, that you already have your mouth watering, we cannot but propose you the recipe of the most classic Brodetto soup, with tomato sauce, which is common to most variants.

Last but not least, a small hint: remember to add the various types of fish in the saucepan respecting the different cooking time of each of them!

Brodetto recipe

Ingredients for 4 servings:

2 kg fish and seafood variety (cuttlefish, shellfish, shrimp and crawfish, codfish, mullet, sole, tub gurnard, flounder, scorpionfish, squid)

200 g (approx. 1 cup) tomato sauce

1 onion

2 cloves of garlic

1 clump of parsley, minced

1/2 glass White wine

Vinegar

Italian bread, toasted

Extra virgin olive oil

Salt

Pepper

Preparation:

Clean the fish thoroughly and fillet. Clean the cuttlefish and squid and cut into desired size and form. Clean the shellfish. Pour five tbsp. of oil in a large saucepan (earthenware, if possible). Add garlic and onion, already peeled and minced. Lightly fry. Simmer with the vinegar and add the minced parsley. Add tomato sauce and salt and pepper to taste. Cook on low fire for 15 minutes. Next, add the seafood, starting with the cuttlefish. Cook alone for 15 minutes, then add the shrimp and crawfish, followed by the rest of the mix, except for the codfish and sole, which must be added last. Cook for another 15 minutes, then let cool for 10 minutes. Place some slices of toasted bread in four plates, and top with the brodetto. Serve immediately. Buon appetito!

Take the chance to try this delicious typical Marche's coastal dish during your stay with Marcheholiday , or book your holiday home now and try the amazing brodetto! Both ways work! ;)

Photo source:

Shamira Gatta, Riviera del Conero, Festival del Brodetto, Picchio news