053Corfiot spicy fish stew

Method

Traditional Corfiot scorpion fish style. Serve with crusty village bread to mop up the spicy red sauce.

You will need

• wide shallow saucepan
• fish scaler
• citrus juicer

1. Season the cleaned scorpion fish generously with sea salt and leave them on a plate at room temperature while you prepare the sauce base. 10 min Ready when: fish lightly salted
2. Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a wide, shallow saucepan over medium heat, add the grated onion, and sauté until soft and translucent without letting it brown. 6 min Ready when: onion soft and translucent
3. Stir in the chopped garlic, sweet paprika, and cayenne pepper, stirring briskly for thirty seconds until fragrant and deeply red. 1 min Ready when: spices release their aroma
4. Pour in the warm water, bring the liquid to an active boil, and simmer uncovered for five minutes until the sauce slightly emulsifies. 5 min Ready when: sauce bubbling and emulsified
5. Gently lay the fish into the pan in a single layer, spooning hot sauce over them. 2 min Ready when: fish arranged in single layer
6. Simmer vigorously uncovered over medium-high heat for about twelve minutes, gently shaking the pan rather than stirring, until the fish flesh flakes easily and the sauce is rich and glossy. 12 min Ready when: fish cooked through and sauce reduced to a red glaze
7. Drizzle the fresh lemon juice over the fish, shake the pan once more to incorporate, take off the heat, and rest for five minutes before serving. 5 min Ready when: sauce bound and rested

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Make ahead and storing

Keep refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 day; reheat very gently over low heat.

Substitutions

• skate wings, grey mullet, or cod steaks for red scorpion fish. Firm white fish that hold their shape in a simmer work best.

Common mistakes

• Adding chopped tinned tomatoes or tomato paste. Authentic Corfiot bourdeto takes its colour and body purely from sweet paprika and emulsified onion with olive oil, not tomato.
• Stirring the stew with a spoon. Stirring will break delicate fish flesh apart; always shake the pan gently by its handles.

Regional variants

• Bourdeto with octopus or cuttlefish, simmered longer until tender
• Lefkada bourdeto, which often includes a touch of tomato paste

About the dish

Bourdeto is Corfu's most celebrated fish dish, strongly influenced by the centuries of Venetian rule across the Ionian Islands. Unlike mainland Greek fish braises that rely on fresh tomato or herbs, a classic Corfiot bourdeto is coloured and seasoned almost exclusively with generous amounts of sweet paprika and fiery hot cayenne pepper. Traditionally prepared with scorpion fish, grey mullet, or skate wings, it cooks down quickly into a thick, glossy red sauce finished with sharp lemon juice.

Found in Ionian Islands. Cooked for everyday, sunday lunch.

Cousins elsewhere

• Brodetto (Italian). Venetian maritime tradition brought brodetto to Corfu, where it evolved into a distinctly fiery, pepper-heavy stew.

Nutrition per serving (estimate)

508 kcal · protein 48.9 g · fat 31.3 g (saturated 4.7 g) · carbohydrate 9.7 g (sugars 3.8 g) · fibre 2.7 g · sodium 186 mg

An estimate (summed from ingredient estimates) that varies with the exact ingredients. It is not dietary advice.

Written fresh by Epikouria editors from general culinary tradition. Recipe by the Epikouria editors. Rooted in classic Corfiot maritime household cookery, balancing hot pepper with olive oil and lemon..