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1
Fry the Onion and Garlic
10 Mins • Hands On
Medium heat, about 160°C (320°F)
Heat the olive oil in a wide, heavy pot and cook the sliced onions gently for 8 minutes until soft and golden — not browned. Add the garlic, chilli flakes and bay leaves and cook 1 minute more until fragrant.
Golden, not brown — browned onion turns the sauce bitter.
Done when: Onions are soft, sweet and golden; the oil smells of garlic.
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2
Build the Tomato-Wine Sauce
15 Mins • Simmering
Medium heat, about 160°C (320°F)
Stir in the tomato paste and cook 2 minutes until it darkens, then add the crushed tomatoes, white wine, vinegar, fish stock and water. Season with salt and pepper and simmer 15 minutes until the sauce thickens slightly and tastes round and bright.
Let the wine bubble for a minute before the stock goes in, so the raw alcohol cooks off.
Done when: The sauce coats a spoon and tastes of tomato, wine and the sea.
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3
Lay in the Fish — Do Not Stir
20 Mins • Simmering
Low simmer, about 95°C (200°F)
Lay the fish chunks into the sauce in one layer, skin side down, and tuck the mussels between them. Cover and simmer gently for 20 minutes. Do not stir — shake the pot gently instead, so the fish stays in whole pieces. The fish is done when the flesh flakes easily and reads 63°C (145°F) at the thickest part.
Stirring is the classic mistake: it breaks the fish into shreds. Shake the pot, never stir it.
Done when: Fish flakes with a fork; mussels have opened.
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4
Add the Shrimp and Finish
5 Mins • Simmering
Low simmer, about 95°C (200°F)
Add the shrimp and simmer 4–5 minutes more until they turn pink and curl. Remove the bay leaves, taste the sauce, and adjust the salt and vinegar. Scatter the chopped parsley over the top.
Shrimp go in last and come out at once — a minute too long and they turn rubbery.
Done when: Shrimp are pink and just curled; the sauce is bright and savoury.
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5
Cook the Polenta and Serve
5 Mins • Hands On
Boiling water, 100°C (212°F)
While the fish simmers, whisk the cornmeal into 500ml of boiling salted water and cook, stirring, until thick and soft, about 5 minutes for fine cornmeal. Spoon soft polenta onto warm plates, ladle the brudet over it, and serve at once with crusty bread.
Serve the polenta soft and spoonable — it is there to drink up the sauce.
Done when: Polenta is thick, soft and steaming; the fish is whole and glossy.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Ladle the fish and its tomato-wine sauce over soft polenta, scatter parsley on top, and put crusty bread on the table for the sauce.
Croatia
3h
France
Vietnam