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Brudet (Adriatic Fish Stew with Polenta)

Name: Brudet (Adriatic Fish Stew with Polenta)
Prep time: 1 h 35 min
Total time: 1 h 35 min
Cuisine: Croatian
Ingredients: mixed firm fish — 1500 g; olive oil — 92 g; onions — 400 g; garlic — 15 g; tomatoes — 400 g; tomato paste — 35 g; dry white wine — 150 g; red wine vinaigrette — 45 g; water — 300 g; bay leaf — 1 g; salt — 12 g; flat-leaf parsley — 20 g; yellow corn meal — 250 g

Brudet (Adriatic Fish Stew with Polenta) reads richness 3.6, salinity 3.6 and allium 3.5 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Croatian main, about 1 hr 35 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

Umami & Savory — 4.1 / 10
Sweet & Fruity — 3.0 / 10
Sour & Bright — 4.0 / 10
Bitter & Earthy — 1.2 / 10
Rich & Fat — 3.9 / 10
Aromatic & Spice — 3.8 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Richness 3.6 · Salinity 3.6 · Allium 3.5 · Sourness 3.3 · Umami 2.8 · Citrus 2.5 · Fruity 2.4 · Funk & Ferment 2.2 · Sweetness 2.1 · Herbaceous 1.8 · Floral 1.5 · Nutty 1.0 · Earthy 1.0 · Bitterness 1.0 · Warm Spice 0.8

What's in it (13)

mixed firm fish — 1500 g
olive oil — 92 g
onions — 400 g
garlic — 15 g
tomatoes — 400 g
tomato paste — 35 g
dry white wine — 150 g
red wine vinaigrette — 45 g
water — 300 g
bay leaf — 1 g
salt — 12 g
flat-leaf parsley — 20 g
yellow corn meal — 250 g

Time & effort: about 1 hr 35 min · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 43.1 kcal, 0.8 g protein, 0.2 g fat, 8.5 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat · Contains seafood — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (9 steps)

Use at least three kinds of fish, cut into thick steaks on the bone. Fillets fall apart and give a thin stew; the bones and heads are where the body of the sauce comes from. Scorpionfish is the one nobody in Kvarner leaves out.
Cook the onion and garlic gently in the olive oil in a wide shallow pan for 15 minutes, until completely soft and barely coloured.
Stir in the tomatoes and tomato paste and cook 5 minutes.
Pour in the white wine and the vinegar and let them bubble for 3 minutes. The vinegar is not optional and it is what separates a brudet from a generic fish stew.
Lay the fish in the pan in a single layer, firmest and thickest on the bottom, langoustines on top.
Add the water or stock, the bay leaves and the salt, and simmer uncovered for 28 minutes. From this point the pan is never stirred: shake it by the handle instead, in a circular motion, or the fish breaks up.
Meanwhile bring 1 L of salted water to the boil and rain in the polenta, whisking, then cook it 40 minutes over low heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, until it pulls away from the side of the pan.
Scatter the parsley over the brudet and take the pan to the table with the polenta spooned alongside. It is better after an hour standing, and better still reheated the next day.
Substitutions: Malvazija can stand in for the dry white wine; light fish stock can stand in for the water.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

Baked Greek Chicken Meatballs with Orzo — Greek
Grilled Halloumi Gyros with Tzatziki — Greek
Ensalada Mixta — Argentine
Gazpacho Andaluz — Spanish
Greek Chicken and Rice Skillet — Greek

Keep reading: what richness, salinity, allium mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.