Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Heavy 8-quart Dutch oven or wide braising pot
• •Large pot for cooking octopus
• •Slotted spoon for handling seafood
• •Wide shallow bowls for serving

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the octopus

   Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the cleaned octopus and reduce heat to a gentle simmer. Cook until a knife slides easily into the thickest part of the tentacle, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. The octopus should be tender, not tough. Remove, let cool slightly, and cut into bite-sized pieces. Reserve the cooking liquid.

   Some Livornese cooks add a wine cork to the pot, believing it tenderizes the octopus. The science is doubtful, but superstition harms nothing.
2. 2

   Build the soffritto

   In a wide, heavy pot or Dutch oven, heat half a cup of the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and carrot. Cook slowly, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are completely soft and the onion is golden, about 15 minutes. Do not rush this foundation. FLAVOR, IN ITALIAN DISHES, builds up from the bottom.

3. 3

   Add garlic and heat

   Add the sliced garlic and peperoncino flakes to the soffritto. Cook for one minute, stirring constantly. The garlic must become fragrant but never brown. Burnt garlic is bitter and will ruin your stew. If your peperoncino is old and dull, use more. The stew should have presence.

4. 4

   Cook the squid

   Add the squid rings and tentacles to the pot. Stir to coat with the soffritto and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until the squid turns opaque. Squid requires either very brief cooking or very long cooking. Anything in between produces rubber.

5. 5

   Add wine and tomatoes

   Pour in the red wine and let it bubble until reduced by half, about 3 minutes. The alcohol smell should disappear. Add the crushed tomatoes and stir thoroughly. Bring to a simmer.

   Red wine is traditional in Livorno, unlike most Italian fish preparations. It gives the broth its characteristic deep color. White wine is acceptable, but you will have made a different dish.
6. 6

   Build the broth

   Add the warm fish broth and the cooked octopus pieces. If you reserved octopus cooking liquid, add up to one cup of it for depth. Season with salt, remembering that the shellfish will add brine. Simmer uncovered for 20 minutes to marry the flavors. The broth should taste of the sea and tomato in equal measure.

7. 7

   Add the fish

   Nestle the pieces of firm fish into the broth. Do not stir, or the fish will break apart. Let them poach gently in the simmering liquid for 5 minutes. The fish is ready when it just begins to flake at the edges.

8. 8

   Add the shellfish

   Add the shrimp, mussels, and clams to the pot, pushing them into the broth. Cover the pot and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, until the mussels and clams have opened and the shrimp are pink and curled. Discard any shellfish that refuse to open. They were dead before cooking and are not safe.

   Once the shellfish go in, you have perhaps six minutes before they overcook. Stand at the stove. Watch. Remove from heat the moment the shells open wide.
9. 9

   Prepare the toast

   While the stew finishes, toast the bread slices until golden on both sides. Immediately rub one side of each slice vigorously with the cut garlic clove. The rough surface will grate the garlic into the bread. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil. This is fettunta, and it is essential.

10. 10

    Serve immediately

    Place one slice of garlic toast in the bottom of each wide, shallow bowl. Ladle the cacciucco over the bread, distributing the seafood evenly. Each bowl should contain some of everything. Scatter fresh parsley over the top. Serve at once. Fish stews do not wait for anyone.

Chef Tips

• •Ask your fishmonger to clean the octopus and squid. This is tedious work, and they do it better than you will at home. Buy the freshest fish available, whatever that may be. The specific varieties matter less than their freshness.
• •Make your own fish broth if possible. Collect shrimp shells and fish bones, simmer them with onion, celery, fennel fronds, and white wine for 30 minutes. Strain. This broth makes a profound difference. Commercial fish stock is acceptable, never bouillon cubes.
• •The bread must be stale and sturdy. Fresh bread turns to mush. Proper Tuscan bread, unsalted and dense, is ideal. A good ciabatta serves if you cannot find it. The bread absorbs the broth and becomes part of the dish, not a garnish.
• •Cacciucco should be moderately spicy, not timid. If you can eat it without noticing the peperoncino, you have not added enough. Adjust the heat to your tolerance, but do not eliminate it entirely.

Advance Preparation

• •The octopus can be cooked one day ahead and refrigerated in its cooking liquid. This actually improves its texture.
• •The soffritto and tomato base can be prepared several hours ahead and held at room temperature. Reheat before adding the fish.
• •Do not add the fish or shellfish until just before serving. There is no reheating a fish stew without destroying it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 600g)