Cacciucco alla Livornese
A robust Tuscan seafood stew cooked with red wine, chilli, and rich tomato, ladled over thick slices of garlic-rubbed toasted bread.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 45 min
- Total
- 70 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Calories
- 580 kcal
Equipment
- •heavy casserole or Dutch oven
- •wooden spoon
- •chef's knife
- •grill pan or toaster
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 580 kcal
- fat
- 20 g
- carbs
- 44 g
- fibre
- 4 g
- protein
- 48 g
- calories
- 580 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Heat 45 ml olive oil in a heavy casserole over medium heat.
- 2
Add the sliced garlic and chilli, sizzling gently until fragrant.
- 3
Add the cuttlefish and octopus, cooking for ten minutes until firm.
- 4
Pour in the red wine and let it bubble until reduced by half.
- 5
Stir in the tomato paste, passata, and 150 ml warm water.
- 6
Cover with a lid and simmer gently for twenty minutes.
- 7
Add the squid rings and white fish chunks without stirring excessively.
- 8
Place the prawns and mussels on top and cover tightly.
- 9
Simmer for seven minutes until the mussels open and fish cooks through.
- 10
Toast the bread slices until golden and rub vigorously with whole garlic.
- 11
Place the garlic-rubbed bread into wide bowls.
- 12
Ladle the rich seafood stew over the bread and serve immediately.
Chef's tips
Add the seafood in strict stages from firmest to most delicate so that octopus tenderises without overcooking the fragile white fish. Use an assertive dry red wine rather than white to achieve Livorno's characteristic dark, savoury sauce colour and depth.
Ingredient substitutions
- pane toscano (crusty Tuscan bread) → sourdough or any rustic crusty white loaf
- red mullet or gurnard → cod, haddock, or sea bass fillets
- baby octopus → squid tentacles or extra cuttlefish
Storage
Store leftover stew in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one day without the bread.
Reheating
Reheat gently in a saucepan over low heat until steaming, taking care not to boil the fish.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Adding all seafood at once, which makes the delicate fish disintegrate and turns squid rubbery.
- •Using white wine instead of red, which loses the traditional Livornese profile.
- •Stirring vigorously after adding the fish chunks, causing the tender fillets to break apart.
Serving suggestions
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