Brodi, minestre e zuppe

Method:

At the table

A good fish broth starts with a conversation at the fish counter. Ask for a mixture suitable for soup, such as scorpionfish, grouper and conger eel, and let the catch guide you. This recipe serves four and gives you both a broth and fish to serve separately. Allow up to 1 hour for cleaning and preparation and about 45 minutes for cooking.

Stories around the pot

Around Trapani, fish broth also finds a place beside couscous, a reminder of culinary exchanges across the Mediterranean. That is useful context for this pot, without making every fish soup the same dish. Here the pleasure is in the clear division of the meal: fragrant broth first, carefully lifted fish afterwards. Put a ladle on the table and give the broth the attention you would give a good sauce.

Before you start

Have the fish cleaned and portioned, and ask which pieces need the longest cooking. Slice the onion, chop the garlic and parsley, and wash the basil.

At the stove

Soften the onion in the oil in a broad pot. Add the passata, basil, a little salt and black pepper or chilli; simmer for about 10 minutes. Pour in 2 litres of water, add the bay leaf and bring to the boil. Stir in the chopped garlic and parsley. Add the firmer, thicker fish first and the delicate pieces later, simmering gently until the flesh is opaque and comes away easily from the bones.

Finish and serve

Lift the fish out carefully and serve it as a second course. Strain the broth through a fine sieve to catch bones and use it for a soup. The fish determines the final timing, so watch each piece rather than leaving everything in the pot for the same number of minutes.