Country Info | Food and Drinks | Recipes for Traditional Food in Slovenia | Brodet

Variations of this dish can be encountered all over the Mediterranean. Fish, tomatoes and olive oil are the essential ingredients, spices and condiments vary from area to area, and each cook has his own special secrets. This is my way.

It is important to use a variety of coastal-water ("white-fleshed") fish for brodet, e.g. conger, red mullet, scorpion fish, etc; those with intensive flavour are preferred. High-quality fish like golden bream or bass are wasted in brodet.

Ingredients:

• 1 kg fish (various)
• 2 yellow onions, chopped
• 1 dl olive oil
• 0.5 kg peeled tomatoes (seeds removed), chopped (or use a can)
• 2 dl dry white wine (for authenticity, use Rebula, Malvazija or Tokaj)
• 1 heaped Tbsp fresh basil, chopped, or 1 heaped tsp dry basil
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 tsp rosemary
• 1 heaped Tbsp chopped parsley
• 1 lemon
• some all-purpose flour
• salt and pepper to taste

Sprinkle fish with salt and lemon juice, marinate for at least 20 minutes. Heat the olive oil in a medium-height pan, dry the fish, dust lightly with flour and fry until lightly golden. Remove from oil and keep warm.

Fry onions until lightly browned, mixing constantly, de-glazing the pan. Add tomatoes and reduce the heat to low. Add wine, basil, bay leaves, rosemary, salt and pepper, and cook until the alcohol has evaporated -- or about 6 minutes. Place fried fish gently into the sauce, shake the pan (no mixing -- or the fish will disintegrate !) and cook uncovered, over very low heat for 25-30 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley and serve. Do not re-warm.

To attain perfection: fillet the fish. Fry one chopped onion in 0.5 dl olive oil, add fish bones and heads, 0.2 kg peeled tomatoes, 1 dl wine, some basil, rosemary, 1 bay leaf, salt and pepper. Cover and cook for 20 minutes, stirring frequently (press fish pieces with wooden spoon to release as much meat as possible into the sauce). Puree the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve.

Marinate fillets with lemon and salt, proceed as above with remaining ingredients. When alcohol has evaporated, add sauce and fried fillets, cook for 15 minutes over low heat, shaking the pan occasionally. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

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