Chef Graziella
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Brodo di Pesce alla Ligure
Created by
The foundation broth of the Ligurian coast, where fennel fronds and white wine transform humble fish bones into liquid gold. Without this, your seafood risotto is merely rice with fish.
Sauces & Condiments
Italian, Ligurian
Make Ahead
Special Occasion
25 min
Active Time
45 min cook•1 hr 10 min total
Yield2 quarts
Afish stock is not complicated, but it requires attention. The bones must be fresh, the simmer must be gentle, and you must know when to stop. Overcook it by twenty minutes and you will have bitterness instead of the sea.
In Liguria, the fishermen's wives learned this from necessity. The prized flesh went to market; the bones and heads stayed home. From these scraps, simmered with fennel fronds that grow wild along the coast and a splash of the local white wine, they created the foundation for everything: brodetto, risotto ai frutti di mare, the fish soups that tourists now pay handsomely to eat in Portofino.
What you leave out matters as much as what you put in. No tomato. No heavy herbs that would mask the delicate sweetness of the fish. The fennel is there for a whisper of anise, the wine for brightness. The rest is restraint.
Ligurian fish broth evolved from the cucina povera of coastal fishing villages, where fishermen's families transformed unsellable scraps into the base for their daily meals. The use of fennel, which grows wild along the rocky Riviera coastline, distinguishes this stock from those of other Italian regions and reflects the Ligurian instinct for using what the land provides alongside what the sea offers.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
fish bones and heads
Quantity
2 pounds
from white-fleshed fish (sea bass, snapper, sole, or halibut)
extra virgin olive oil
Quantity
2 tablespoons
yellow onion
Quantity
1 medium
quartered
celery stalks with leaves
Quantity
2
cut into chunks
fennel bulb with fronds
Quantity
1
quartered
dry white wine
Quantity
1 cup
cold water
Quantity
8 cups
parsley stems
Quantity
6
bay leaf
Quantity
1
whole black peppercorns
Quantity
8
lemon zest
Quantity
1 strip (2 inches)
no white pith
kosher salt
Quantity
1 teaspoon
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| fish bones and headsfrom white-fleshed fish (sea bass, snapper, sole, or halibut) | 2 pounds |
| extra virgin olive oil | 2 tablespoons |
| yellow onionquartered | 1 medium |
| celery stalks with leavescut into chunks | 2 |
| fennel bulb with frondsquartered | 1 |
| dry white wine | 1 cup |
| cold water | 8 cups |
| parsley stems | 6 |
| bay leaf | 1 |
| whole black peppercorns | 8 |
| lemon zestno white pith | 1 strip (2 inches) |
| kosher salt | 1 teaspoon |
Equipment Needed
- •Heavy 6-quart stockpot
- •Fine-mesh strainer
- •Ladle
- •Large heatproof bowl
Instructions
- 1
Prepare the fish bones
Rinse the fish bones and heads under cold running water for several minutes, until the water runs clear. Remove and discard any gills, which are the feathery red organs behind the head. Gills make stock bitter. Break or chop larger bones into pieces that will fit comfortably in your pot. The bones should smell of the sea, clean and briny. If they smell of anything else, they are not fresh enough.
Ask your fishmonger for bones from non-oily white fish. Salmon, mackerel, and bluefish make terrible stock. Their oils turn rancid with heat. The best bones come from fish you would poach or grill: bass, snapper, halibut, sole. - 2
Sweat the aromatics
In a heavy stockpot, warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and fennel. Cook gently, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables soften and become fragrant, about 8 minutes. They should not brown. You are coaxing out their sweetness, not creating caramelization.
- 3
Add the fish bones
Add the rinsed fish bones and heads to the pot. Stir them with the vegetables and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. The flesh clinging to the bones will turn opaque. This brief cooking helps extract flavor without developing any harshness.
- 4
Deglaze with wine
Pour in the white wine. Let it bubble and reduce by half, about 3 minutes. The wine adds acidity that brightens the stock and helps extract gelatin from the bones. A Ligurian would use Vermentino or Pigato, but any dry white wine will serve.
- 5
Add water and aromatics
Add the cold water, parsley stems, bay leaf, peppercorns, lemon zest, and salt. The water must be cold. Hot water clouds the stock. Bring everything slowly to a bare simmer. You will see small bubbles rising lazily to the surface. This is correct.
Never let fish stock boil. Boiling emulsifies the fats and proteins into the liquid, creating a murky, greasy result. The gentlest simmer produces the clearest, cleanest broth. - 6
Simmer and skim
Maintain the laziest simmer for 30 to 35 minutes. During the first 10 minutes, skim any foam or scum that rises to the surface with a ladle or large spoon. After that, leave the pot alone. Stirring disturbs the bones and clouds the stock.
- 7
Strain carefully
Remove the pot from the heat. Set a fine-mesh strainer over a large bowl or clean pot. Ladle the stock through the strainer, pressing very gently on the solids. Do not force liquid through by mashing. Let gravity do the work. Discard the bones and vegetables. They have given everything they have.
- 8
Taste and adjust
Taste the strained stock. It should be light, clean, and unmistakably of the sea, with a subtle anise note from the fennel. Add salt only if needed. Remember that the stock will concentrate when used in risotto or soup. Underseasoning now is safer than overseasoning.
Chef Tips
- •Befriend your fishmonger. Tell them you make stock. Good fishmongers will save bones and heads for regular customers, often at no charge. This is how the Italian home cook operates: relationships, not transactions.
- •The fennel fronds are not decoration. Reserve them when you quarter the bulb and add them to the pot with the other aromatics. They carry more flavor than the bulb itself.
- •If you cannot find fish bones, use one pound of inexpensive whole fish such as porgy or whiting. Clean them, remove the gills, and proceed as directed. The result will be richer.
- •Do not add garlic. I know you want to. Resist. Garlic overwhelms the delicate sweetness of good fish stock. The Ligurians understood this.
Advance Preparation
- •The stock can be refrigerated for up to three days. Cool it quickly by setting the container in an ice bath before refrigerating.
- •Fish stock freezes beautifully for three months. Freeze in measured portions, one or two cups each, so you can thaw only what you need.
- •Any fat will solidify on the surface when chilled. Remove it before using the stock. This keeps the broth clear and clean.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 240g)
Calories
40 calories
Total Fat
2 g
Saturated Fat
0 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
2 g
Cholesterol
5 mg
Sodium
240 mg
Total Carbohydrates
2 g
Dietary Fiber
0 g
Sugars
1 g
Protein
1 g
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