Pozzuoli Fish Soup (Naples)

Soups

Ingredients

Assorted Fish - 4 1/2 - 5 pounds

Salt

Olive oil - 1 1/4 cup

Garlic, finely chopped - 2 cloves

Hot chili pepper - small piece

Ripe or canned tomatoes, peeled and chopped - 1 pound

Parsley, finely chopped - 3 sprigs

Toasted Bread - 6 slices

Thoroughly clean the fish. Leave the small ones whole; cut up the larger fish, discarding heads and tails. Clean and chop the cuttlefish and squids. Wash and scrub the mussels and clams, and soak them in a bowl of cold salted water for 1 hour to allow the sand to fall to the bottom of the bowl.

If possible, use an earthenware pan or casserole for the soup. Add all but 2 or 3 tbsps of the oil and saute the garlic and chili. Add the tomatoes and 2 1/2 cups warm water, stir well, then add the larger fish. Season with salt and cook for 20 minutes, adding the smaller fish after about 10 minutes.

In the meantime, put the mussels and clams into a large pan with the remaining olive oil, cover and cook over a high heat for 10 minutes, shaking the pan from time to time to help the shells open. Add them to the soup with their shells at the last minute. Sprinkle generously with parsley and serve at once in soup bowls, garnished with slices of toasted bread.

Serves 6