Ciuppin
Ciuppin is a traditional Ligurian passed fish soup made from small whole rockfish simmered with wine and tomatoes, ladled hot over garlic-rubbed toasted bread.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 45 min
- Total
- 70 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Calories
- 460 kcal
Equipment
- •Large heavy-bottomed pot
- •Food mill (passaverdure) with fine disc
- •Large bowl
- •Chef knife
- •Ladle
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 460 kcal
- fat
- 16 g
- carbs
- 44 g
- fibre
- 4 g
- protein
- 34 g
- calories
- 460 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Warm the olive oil in a large pot over medium-low heat.
- 2
Add the chopped onion, celery, carrot, and minced garlic with a pinch of salt.
- 3
Cook gently for 10 minutes until the vegetables are soft and translucent without browning.
- 4
Pour in the white wine and simmer until reduced by half.
- 5
Stir in the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, half the parsley, and 500 ml of warm water.
- 6
Add the prepared whole fish into the liquid and bring to a gentle simmer.
- 7
Cover with a lid and cook on low heat for 25 minutes until the fish has broken down completely.
- 8
Pass the entire contents of the pot through a food mill fitted with a fine disc into a clean bowl.
- 9
Press firmly with the mill paddle to extract all broth and flesh while holding back bones and skin.
- 10
Pour the smooth soup back into the rinsed pot, season with salt and pepper, and reheat gently.
- 11
Toast the bread slices until golden, then rub one side of each slice vigorously with the whole garlic clove.
- 12
Place the toasted bread in warm bowls, ladle the rich soup over the top, and finish with fresh parsley and olive oil.
Chef's tips
Use small, boney whole rockfish rather than clean fillets, as the head and frames provide the essential gelatinous body. Never use a blender or food processor instead of a food mill, or you will pulverise sharp fish bones into the broth. Keep the texture velvety, fluid enough to soak deeply into the rustic bread.
Ingredient substitutions
- mixed small rockfish → mixed fish heads and bones combined with small red mullet fillets
- Vermentino → any crisp, dry un-oaked white wine
Storage
Keep leftover soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days without the bread.
Reheating
Reheat gently in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until piping hot, then ladle over freshly toasted bread.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Blending with an immersion blender, which shreds bone fragments into the finished soup.
- •Using delicate white fish fillets without bones, which produces a thin, flavourless broth.
- •Boiling the soup vigorously instead of simmering gently, which can turn the fish flesh chalky.
Serving suggestions
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