The great fish soup of Termoli, Molise's only real seaport: a mix of small Adriatic fish and shellfish—gurnard, skate, hake, cuttlefish, mantis shrimp, mussels and clams—simmered in a sauce of fresh tomato, garlic and, the local signature, sweet green pepper. Cooked in a terracotta pot that is swirled rather than stirred so the fish stays whole, and eaten with country bread.
The brodetto alla termolese is the signature dish of Termoli, in the province of Campobasso, and was born as cucina povera in the town's fishing quarter, made from the small, unsold Adriatic species left at the end of the day. What sets it apart from the neighbouring brodetto alla vastese is the fresh sweet green pepper cooked into its tomato and garlic base. By tradition the pot is swirled by its handles rather than stirred, so the fish is not broken, and it is served in a terracotta coccio with country bread. Known in dialect as u bredette, the recipe has been codified by the Accademia Italiana della Cucina, celebrated in the verse of the local poet-pharmacist Raffaele D'Andrea and dear to the singer Lucio Dalla, long a lover of the town.
Spooned straight from the pot: tender flakes of white fish and sweet, briny shellfish in a light red broth that tastes of the sea, its tomato edge rounded by the mellow sweetness of the green pepper and a low hum of garlic and chilli. The garlic-rubbed bread soaks it all up.
The fish go into the pot in order of firmness—cuttlefish and skate first, the more delicate fish and mantis shrimp last—so each species' muscle proteins set just through without toughening. Mussels and clams open in the heat and release their salty liquor, rich in free glutamates that deepen the broth's savour, while the tomato's own glutamic acid and the shellfish's nucleotides reinforce each other for a rounded umami. Skin and bones give up collagen as gelatin, lending the thin broth body; swirling rather than stirring spares the fragile, just-cooked flesh.
Variations
The tell-tale difference from the brodetto alla vastese just up the coast is Termoli's sweet green pepper; Vasto leaves it out. The fish mix simply follows the day's catch—squid or cuttlefish, gilthead bream, red mullet, gurnard, whatever the boats bring—and cooks vary the chilli, sometimes adding a splash of white wine. Larger fish are cut into pieces, the smallest left whole.
On the Palate
Where Brodetto di Pesce alla Termolese sits in the Italian flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 4
How it's made
8 steps · 30 min
- 120 min
Soak the mussels and clams in cold salted water for about an hour to purge grit; scrub and de-beard the mussels. Clean and gut the fish, cutting the larger ones into thick pieces.
- 26 min
Steam the mussels and clams open in a covered pan with a splash of water; lift them out, strain and keep their liquor, discarding any that stay shut.
Watch outSteam the shellfish just until they open and save every drop of their liquor — that briny juice is the backbone of the broth; discard any that stay shut.
- 34 min
In a wide terracotta pot or heavy pan, warm plenty of olive oil and gently soften the sliced garlic and a piece of chilli without colouring.
- 46 min
Add the green peppers cut into strips and cook until they begin to soften.
- 520 min
Add the peeled fresh tomatoes and the reserved shellfish liquor, season lightly, and simmer at a low heat for about 20 minutes until it becomes a sauce.
- 612 min
Lay in the firm fish first—cuttlefish, skate, gurnard—and after a few minutes the more delicate fish and the mantis shrimp; do not stir, but swirl the pot by its handles.
Watch outLay the firm fish in first, delicate ones and shrimp last, and swirl the pot by its handles instead of stirring — a spoon breaks the just-cooked flesh apart.
- 74 min
When the fish is just cooked through, return the mussels and clams to warm through and scatter with chopped parsley; check the salt.
- 83 min
Bring the pot to the table and serve in the coccio with slices of country bread, toasted and rubbed with garlic.
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