Acqua
Pazza
Fish in a light tomato broth
White fish gently poaches with tomatoes, garlic and white wine, leaving a light broth to spoon up with bread.
Whole fish in a light tomato brothGentle heat,
a fragrant fish broth.
Acqua pazza is a coastal Campanian way of cooking fish in a small amount of aromatic liquid. Tomatoes soften into the broth while garlic, olive oil and wine season it. The fish remains the center of the plate, with broth to spoon around it rather than a thick tomato sauce.
Whole fish is a familiar presentation, although fillets also appear. Ask which fish is being used and whether it will arrive on the bone. This home recipe keeps the whole-fish preparation and gives a longer, gentler cooking allowance than a thin fillet would need.
Explore by food: Fish & seafood
Let’s make acqua pazza.
Two small whole fish poach in a wide covered pan.
Two whole fish, about 450–500 g each before cleaning; one per person.
What you’ll need
- 2whole sea bass, 450–500 g each, scaled and gutted
- 3 tbspolive oil
- 3garlic cloves, lightly crushed
- 300 gcherry tomatoes, halved
- 100 mldry white wine
- 300 mlwater
- ½ tspfine salt, or to taste
- ¼ tspblack pepper
- 8basil leaves
- 1 tbspchopped parsley
- 100 gcrusty bread, for serving
Fillets need a shorter cooking time than whole fish. Do not use a vigorous boil; it can break the fish apart.
How to make it
- 01
Prepare the fish
Ask the fishmonger to scale and gut the fish. Pat dry and season the cavities with half the salt and pepper. Choose a deep lidded pan wide enough to hold both fish in a single layer.
- 02
Build the broth
Warm the oil and garlic over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook for 4 minutes. Pour in wine and simmer for 2 minutes, then add water and the remaining salt and pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer.
- 03
Poach gently
Lay the fish in the broth, cover and cook at a gentle simmer for 18–25 minutes. Spoon broth over the fish once or twice. The thickest flesh should reach 63°C/145°F and flake away from the backbone. Allow longer for larger fish.
- 04
Finish with herbs
Add basil and parsley, taste the broth and adjust seasoning. Lift the fish carefully onto plates, spoon the broth around them and serve with bread, taking care with bones.
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