Tuscan Fish Stew (Cacciucco)
A deep, spicy tomato broth loaded with squid, octopus, mussels, clams, shrimp and chunks of white fish, slow-simmered the Livorno way and ladled over garlic-rubbed bread. Rustic, warming, and worth every minute of cleaning the shellfish.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Prep the seafood
Scrub the mussels and clams well under cold water and pull off any beards from the mussels; soak the clams in cold salted water for 20 minutes so they release any sand, then drain. Cut the squid and octopus into rings and bite-size pieces, and cut the fish fillets into chunks. Pat everything dry and season the fish and shrimp with a little salt.
- 400 g fish fillets
- 300 g squid or cuttlefish
- 300 g octopus
- 500 g mussels
- 500 g clams
- 400 g shrimp
✅ Done when: the shellfish are scrubbed clean with no grit, and the fish, squid and octopus are cut into even, bite-size pieces
Make the flavour base
Heat the olive oil in a large heavy pot over medium-low heat. Add the onion, celery, carrot, chopped garlic and chili, and cook, stirring often, until soft and fragrant but not browned — this slow start builds the backbone of the broth.
- 60 ml olive oil
- 1 onion
- 1 celery stalk
- 1 carrot
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 chili
✅ Done when: the vegetables are soft and translucent, with no browning
Build the broth
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Simmer the squid and octopus
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Add the rest of the seafood
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Serve over bread
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Prep the seafood
Scrub the mussels and clams well under cold water and pull off any beards from the mussels; soak the clams in cold salted water for 20 minutes so they release any sand, then drain. Cut the squid and octopus into rings and bite-size pieces, and cut the fish fillets into chunks. Pat everything dry and season the fish and shrimp with a little salt.
- 400 g fish fillets
- 300 g squid or cuttlefish
- 300 g octopus
- 500 g mussels
- 500 g clams
- 400 g shrimp
✅ Done when: the shellfish are scrubbed clean with no grit, and the fish, squid and octopus are cut into even, bite-size pieces
Make the flavour base
Heat the olive oil in a large heavy pot over medium-low heat. Add the onion, celery, carrot, chopped garlic and chili, and cook, stirring often, until soft and fragrant but not browned — this slow start builds the backbone of the broth.
- 60 ml olive oil
- 1 onion
- 1 celery stalk
- 1 carrot
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 chili
✅ Done when: the vegetables are soft and translucent, with no browning
Build the broth
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Simmer the squid and octopus
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Add the rest of the seafood
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Serve over bread
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The Story Behind the Dish
Cacciucco was born in the kitchens of Livorno's fishing families, who turned what they couldn't sell at market — small fish, odd pieces of octopus or squid — into a thick, spicy stew. Slow-simmered with tomato, red wine and chili, it was a practical way to stretch a modest catch into a filling meal, poured over stale bread so no broth went to waste.
Livorno was a busy, cosmopolitan port, open for centuries to Spanish, Greek, Jewish and North African communities, and the stew's bold, layered flavors and generous use of chili reflect that mix of cultures. Over time it moved from fishermen's tables into trattorias along the Tuscan coast, where it remains a point of pride.
⭐ Why It's Famous
It's considered one of Italy's great seafood dishes — rich, varied in texture, deeply tied to the identity of Livorno and its port.
💡 Fun Fact
Local tradition holds that a proper cacciucco should include several different kinds of fish and shellfish, since the dish was always meant to use up the varied, mixed catch of the day rather than a single type of seafood.
Livorno, Tuscany
43.55°N, 10.31°E
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