Brudet

Brudet (also brodet, brujet, depending on the dialect) is the Adriatic fish stew that varies village by village; the name comes from the Italian brodetto, a diminutive of brodo ('broth'). It began as a thrifty fishermen's dish — the low-value odds and ends of the day's catch, cooked up in one big pot on the boat or the beach to feed the crew. The rules are loose, but two are near-universal: use at least three or four kinds of fish and seafood (the mix is what gives it depth), and never stir aggressively — only shake the pot, to keep the pieces intact. The Croatian version typically leans on white-fleshed fish like monkfish or scorpionfish plus mussels, shrimp and squid, though inland cooks sometimes use freshwater carp. The accompaniment varies by region too — polenta in the north, white bread in the south. Eaten communally from one pot is the most homely way to serve it.

The spoon brings up a piece of tender white fish, a mussel in its open shell, a slice of squid, a half-shell prawn, all in a tomato-wine broth that has been concentrated by reduction and given body by gelatin cooked out of the fish bones and heads, with the vinegar's tang sitting quietly underneath. Each seafood reads differently against the consistent tomato-garlic-parsley background — every spoonful is a little different. The fish is usually still on the bone (the tradition keeps it in for flavor — pick the bones out as you eat). Whatever rich broth is left, the polenta soaks up.

Brudet's handful of rules all serve two ideas: variety and wholeness. Using three or four kinds of seafood is the point — white fish, shellfish and squid each contribute a different note, so the broth is layered rather than one-dimensional. Adding the seafood in staggered order (sturdier fish first, then squid, then the quick-cooking mussels and prawns) keeps anything from being over- or undercooked. Leaving the fish bones and heads in lets their gelatin cook out over the simmer, lending the broth natural body without any flour or roux. And the 'no aggressive stirring' rule is there to protect the fish chunks — stirring breaks them, so the pot is only shaken, letting the broth move and heat circulate through the gaps.