History

Brudet (or brujet) is a working-fishermen's stew along the Adriatic coast, made from whatever the day's catch yielded. Each port runs a different version: Komiza on Vis claims the earliest recipe; the Split version sits between Komiza and Sibenik, with a fuller red-wine character. Konoba Fetivi and Konoba Hvaranin in Split's Veli Varos cook it as a Friday dish.

Common allergens: Fish, Shellfish

Make it at home

Yield Serves 4Hands-on 30 minTotal 1 hr 15 minDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

  • 1.2kg mixed small Adriatic fish (scorpionfish, gurnard, mullet), cleaned and cut into 6cm chunks
  • 150ml extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 onions, finely chopped
  • 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 400g ripe tomatoes, chopped (or one tin)
  • 200ml red wine
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 1 bay leaf, 1 sprig rosemary, flat-leaf parsley
  • Sea salt, black pepper
  • Polenta to serve (200g, simmered with salt and butter)

Method

  1. Season fish with salt. Heat olive oil in a wide heavy pan; soften onions until pale gold.
  2. Add garlic; cook 1 minute. Add tomato; cook to a chunky paste, 8 to 10 minutes.
  3. Add wine and vinegar; bubble for 2 minutes. Slip fish in a single layer; tuck in bay and rosemary.
  4. Add water to half-cover the fish. Simmer 25 to 35 minutes, never stirring (shake the pan instead).
  5. Adjust salt; scatter parsley. Serve over hot polenta with the cooking sauce spooned over.

Tip from the editors. The Dalmatian rule: never stir brudet, only shake the pan. Stirring breaks the fish.

This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.

Where to eat brudet

Brudet in Split

Konoba Fetivi ★ 4.6

Dalmatian€€veli-varos

Konoba Fetivi in Split's Veli Varos is the Bib Gourmand family konoba on Tomica Stine, cooking grilled Adriatic fish and pasticada to a daily Pazar buy.

Signature: Grilled Adriatic fish, Pasticada with gnocchi, Crni rizot

Order: Whole grilled white fish by weight with chard and potatoes.

Tip: Tue-Sun 15:00 to 23:30, closed Mondays; book ahead for the early dinner sitting and the best whole fish go by 21:00.

Konoba Hvaranin ★ 4.5

veli-varos

Konoba Hvaranin on Ban Mladenova in Split is a small-room family konoba, with the local press in the back and gregada as the kitchen's signature.

Why locals love it: A tucked-away Veli Varos konoba where Split's writers and journalists drink Plavac mali, with shelves of books from regulars and seating capped near 20.

Tip: Booking is sensible; the dinner sitting goes first.

Konoba Korta ★ 4.3

Dalmatian€€diocletians-palace

Konoba Korta sits on a small Split palace courtyard in front of the Church of St Philip Neri, serving Dalmatian seafood and meats under ancient stone walls.

Signature: Squid with barley, Cuttlefish broad-bean pasta, Brudet

Order: Squid with barley and broad beans, finished with new olive oil.

Tip: Open daily through midnight; the cloistered courtyard tables are the ones to book in summer and shoulder season.

More cities are in research. Want brudet covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.

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