We've already shown you how to make the famous Cacciucco alla Viareggina but the best known variety of this type of dish is actually Cacciucco alla Livornese from the town of Livorno on the Tuscan coast. Find a holiday rental in Livorno to try out the real deal and give the recipe a go for yourself for now.
The roots of this popular traditional seafood dish go back at least five hundred years as it was first made in Livorno around 1500. Many myths surround its origins though two are most prevalent. The first tells of a fisherman from Livorno who died at sea in a shipwreck, leaving his children with nobody to provide for them. The story goes that they turned to their neighbours for food and each gave them different types of fish. Using these, their mother made a huge soup and added tomatoes, garlic, oil and slices of bread to the dish. The second legend, which seems a little more likely and less like a fairytale, tells of a lighthouse keeper who could not longer use olive oil to fry his fish as the Florentine Republic had prohibited it. Instead of going without his fish, he made a soup.
Either way, this dish certainly became used by fishermen in the area who could sell the best of their catch and use the rest to feed their family. A variety of fish went into the pot including squid, monkfish and cod with tradition dictating that at least 5 different types of fish be used, one for each of the "c"s in the word cacciucco (mixture). The Viareggina and Livorno versions differ slightly with the Livornese kind being typically less watery and more substantial. It is also considered more of a main dish in its own right and is spicier as it uses generous amounts of red pepper. If you like your spice, this is the version for you.
Ingredients
Serves 8
500g cuttlefish
500g octopus
500g mixed fish (such as gurnard, sea-robin, scorpio fish)
500g mixed shellfish (such as clams and mussels)
500g of prawns and shrimp
3 cloves of garlic
5 sage leaves
1 chilli
1tbspn of tomato paste
400ml of white wine
12 slices of bread
400ml extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
Method
1. Heat olive oil in a saucepan and fry the garlic, sage and chilli.
2. Add the roughly chopped octopus and cuttlefish.
3. Pour in wine and add tomato paste.
4. Allow to simmer for 20 minutes while stirring occasionally.
5. In another saucepan add the chopped mixed fish.
6. Cook the fish heads in broth with herbs and then blend, creating a dense purée. Add to the first saucepan to give the soup more density and flavour. Simmer over a medium flame.
7. When the octopus and cuttlefish are tender, add the crustaceans and the mixed seafood with shells. Continue to cook for 7-8 minutes until the mussels and clams open.
8. Serve with the bread placed in the bottom of the soup tureen. It should be toasted, rubbed with a garlic clove and seasoned with pepper.
A crisp salad is the perfect accompaniment to this typical Tuscan dish but the best way to really try it is on a relaxing holiday in Tuscany with a sea view and glass of wine in front of you.
Either way, this dish certainly became used by fishermen in the area who could sell the best of their catch and use the rest to feed their family. A variety of fish went into the pot including squid, monkfish and cod with tradition dictating that at least 5 different types of fish be used, one for each of the "c"s in the word cacciucco (mixture). The Viareggina and Livorno versions differ slightly with the Livornese kind being typically less watery and more substantial. It is also considered more of a main dish in its own right and is spicier as it uses generous amounts of red pepper. If you like your spice, this is the version for you.
Ingredients
Serves 8
500g cuttlefish
500g octopus
500g mixed fish (such as gurnard, sea-robin, scorpio fish)
500g mixed shellfish (such as clams and mussels)
500g of prawns and shrimp
3 cloves of garlic
5 sage leaves
1 chilli
1tbspn of tomato paste
400ml of white wine
12 slices of bread
400ml extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
Method
1. Heat olive oil in a saucepan and fry the garlic, sage and chilli.
2. Add the roughly chopped octopus and cuttlefish.
3. Pour in wine and add tomato paste.
4. Allow to simmer for 20 minutes while stirring occasionally.
5. In another saucepan add the chopped mixed fish.
6. Cook the fish heads in broth with herbs and then blend, creating a dense purée. Add to the first saucepan to give the soup more density and flavour. Simmer over a medium flame.
7. When the octopus and cuttlefish are tender, add the crustaceans and the mixed seafood with shells. Continue to cook for 7-8 minutes until the mussels and clams open.
8. Serve with the bread placed in the bottom of the soup tureen. It should be toasted, rubbed with a garlic clove and seasoned with pepper.
A crisp salad is the perfect accompaniment to this typical Tuscan dish but the best way to really try it is on a relaxing holiday in Tuscany with a sea view and glass of wine in front of you.