Sbroscia
Lake Bolsena fishermen's mixed fish soup
Four kinds of lake fish, potatoes, tomato, mentuccia, and bread make a fisherman’s supper. Sbroscia belongs to Lago di Bolsena, where a mixed catch could become dinner in a terracotta pignatto near the water. Traditionally, the broth was made with lake water.
The catch matters more than an immutable list. Pike, tench, eel, European perch, and coregone all appear in the local vocabulary, and each brings its own texture and flavor. The fish goes in only after the potatoes have started to soften, so the chunks stay intact and the broth remains lively rather than thickened into a purée.
The lakeside town of Marta shares this tradition with the other fishing communities of Lago di Bolsena. Put stale grilled bread in each bowl before ladling over the soup. It drinks the fragrant liquid, keeps some rough edges, and turns a straightforward pot of fish into a meal.
Ingredients
For the soup
- 1.2 kg(about 2¾ lb)mixed cleaned freshwater fish, in large bone-in pieces: tench, pike, European perch, and eel (see note)
- 1.2 kg(about 2¾ lb)waxy potatoes, peeled and cut into 3 cm (1¼ in) pieces
- 1medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 3garlic cloves, lightly crushed
- 400 gripe tomatoes, roughly chopped, or canned whole peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand
- 4 sprigsfresh mentuccia leaves and tender stems (see note)
- 1small fresh red chile, split lengthwise
- 45 ml(3 tbsp)extra-virgin olive oil, plus a little more for serving
- 1.5 L(6 cups)water, plus more if needed
- 12thick slices stale country bread, grilled or toasted
- fine sea salt
Kitchen notes
- Mixed Lake Bolsena fish
- Sbroscia is a mixed-catch soup, not a single-species fish stew. For the combination of tench, pike, European perch, and eel, buy the fish from a specialist freshwater-fish supplier rather than replacing them with marine fish or anonymous boneless fillets. The bones are traditional and season the broth, so warn diners and serve it in substantial pieces.
- European perch and coregone
- European perch means Perca fluviatilis, not the often much larger Nile perch sold in U.S. markets. Coregone is the local name for a whitefish or lavarello; it was introduced to Lago di Bolsena and appears in some, but not every, traditional pot. The four-fish combination here uses European perch and leaves out coregone.
- Mentuccia
- Use fresh mentuccia, the small aromatic herb used in central Italian cooking. Its common English names and botanical identification vary, and it is not peppermint; ask an Italian grower or specialist market for the culinary herb by its Italian name. Do not use mint extract or dried peppermint.
- Bread and water
- Use sturdy stale country bread that can absorb broth without disappearing. Lake water is part of the historical account of sbroscia, never a home-kitchen instruction; use clean drinking water.
Method
Prepare the lake fish
- Ask the fishmonger to scale, gut, and cut the tench, pike, perch, and eel into substantial pieces, keeping the bones in; they give the soup its character. Rinse the pieces quickly and pat them dry. Have the eel skinned and cut into short sections. Keep the fish chilled while the potato base cooks.
Build the broth
- Set a wide, heavy pot over medium heat with the olive oil, garlic, onion, and chile. Cook until the onion is soft and translucent, about 8 minutes, without browning the garlic. Add the potatoes, tomatoes, and mentuccia. Pour in the water, add 2 teaspoons salt, and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook uncovered until the potatoes are beginning to soften but still hold their corners, about 18–22 minutes. The liquid should be brothy; add a little water if the potatoes are no longer mostly submerged.
Simmer the fish gently
- Lay the fish pieces over the potatoes in a single, loose layer, putting the firm pike and eel pieces in first if their pieces are much thicker than the perch or tench. Spoon broth over the top. Cover partially and simmer very gently, shaking the pot once or twice instead of stirring hard, until the thickest fish flakes at the bone and the potatoes are completely tender, about 10–15 minutes. Taste the broth and adjust the salt. Do not boil fiercely: the fish should remain in recognizable pieces.
Serve over bread
- Put 2 slices of grilled stale bread in each wide bowl. Ladle over broth, potatoes, and a share of the different fish, then finish with a thread of raw olive oil. Serve at once. Give diners a side plate for bones; this is an intentionally rustic, bone-in fish soup.