Brodet (fish stew) recipe

Brodet or brudet is a fish stew that for me encapsulates the Adriatic Sea, said Irina Janakievska. Eaten in Croatia and Montenegro, it is a very close relation of the Italian brodetto. There are as many variants of it as there are Adriatic islands; the only rule is to use the catch of the day and at least three different varieties of fish or seafood. It is almost always accompanied by a bowl of golden polenta.
Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 5-6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• ½ tsp fennel seeds
• 1 lemon, for 2-3 pared strips of zest, then sliced into wedges to serve
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tbsp tomato purée
• 1 x 400g tinned plum tomatoes (or 2-3 ripe tomatoes, chopped)
• 100ml fish stock
• 75ml dry white wine (or Croatian prošek)
• 2 tbsp white-wine vinegar
• 1kg mixed fish (skinned and chopped) and seafood (peeled and kept whole)
• 20g fresh parsley, leaves picked and finely chopped, plus extra to serve

For the polenta:

• 35g unsalted butter
• 700ml fish or vegetable stock, or more if you prefer your polenta looser
• 200g quick-cook polenta
• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Method:

• Heat the oil in a large, lidded sauté pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and sweat (lid on, but stirring occasionally) for 10-12 mins.
• Add the garlic, fennel seeds, lemon zest strips, bay leaf and tomato purée and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 min until you smell the garlic, and the onion is well-coated in the tomato purée.
• Add the tinned plum tomatoes (swilling out the tin with a splash of water), fish stock, wine, 1 tsp salt and a grind of black pepper. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally and crushing the tomatoes as you do, for 10-12 mins, or until the tomatoes have broken down and the sauce has thickened and reduced by about half.
• Add the vinegar and your mixed fish and seafood. Cover and cook for 18-20 mins, until the fish is cooked through but still firm.
• If you are using clams or mussels, add these 5-6 mins before the end and discard any that have not opened up after this time. Do not stir or you will break up the fish – just give the pan a gentle shake from time to time. Take off the heat, remove the bay leaf and stir in the fresh parsley.
• Meanwhile, prepare the polenta. Put the butter, stock, 2 tsp salt and a good grind of black pepper into a large saucepan over a medium-high heat. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to medium and slowly add the polenta, whisking as you do.
• Cook, continuously whisking, for 6-8 mins (or as per the packet) until the polenta is cooked through. Add more stock if you prefer a looser consistency.
• Add the olive oil and whisk. Spoon the polenta into individual bowls and top with the brodet, parsley and a wedge of lemon.

Taken from The Balkan Kitchen: Recipes and Stories from the Heart of the Balkans by Irina Janakievska, published by Hardie Grant at £27. To buy from The Week Bookshop for £23.99, call 020-3176 3835.