Cassola Cagliaritana
Cassola Cagliaritana, known locally as sa cassola, is a spicy tomato-based mixed seafood stew from Cagliari, served piping hot over thick slices of garlic-rubbed toasted bread.
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 45 min
- Total
- 75 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Calories
- 480 kcal
Equipment
- •Large heavy terracotta pot or Dutch oven
- •Chef knife
- •Cutting board
- •Ladle
- •Tongs
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 480 kcal
- fat
- 18 g
- carbs
- 32 g
- fibre
- 4 g
- protein
- 46 g
- calories
- 480 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Heat the olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat.
- 2
Add the crushed garlic, crumbled chilli, and chopped parsley stems, cooking for one minute until fragrant.
- 3
Add the cuttlefish pieces and sauté for eight minutes until they firm up and release their juices.
- 4
Pour in the white wine and simmer until the sharp alcohol aroma cooks off completely.
- 5
Stir in the hand-crushed tomatoes, tomato passata, and warm fish stock, bringing the liquid to a gentle simmer.
- 6
Lower the heat, cover the pot, and simmer gently for fifteen minutes until the sauce deepens in colour.
- 7
Place the firm rockfish pieces into the simmering broth in a single layer.
- 8
Cover and simmer for eight minutes without stirring with a spoon to avoid breaking the delicate fish.
- 9
Scatter the cleaned mussels over the top and cook covered for five minutes until the shells open wide.
- 10
Discard any mussels that remain firmly closed and season the broth with salt to taste.
- 11
Rub the warm toasted bread slices with raw garlic and lay them into wide serving bowls.
- 12
Ladle the rich fish, molluscs, and spicy red broth over the bread, garnishing with fresh parsley leaves.
Chef's tips
Add the seafood in strict stages according to firmness: tough cephalopods first, firm rockfish second, and delicate shell-on molluscs last. Swirl the pot gently by its handles rather than stirring with a spoon to keep the fish fillets intact.
Ingredient substitutions
- Scorpionfish and gurnard → red snapper, sea bass, or cod cut into thick steaks
- Pane civraxiu → thick slices of rustic sourdough or crusty country bread
- Cuttlefish → cleaned squid tubes cut into rings
Storage
Store leftover fish and broth in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one day.
Reheating
Reheat gently in a wide saucepan over low heat until steaming, avoiding any rapid boiling.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Adding all seafood at once, which leaves the cuttlefish tough and the fish broken into mush.
- •Stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon instead of swirling the pot gently.
- •Boiling the broth rapidly rather than maintaining a low, gentle simmer.
Serving suggestions
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