Recipe
🍽️ DINNER
Brudet (Dalmatian Fish Stew)
An Adriatic stew of mixed fish simmered in a tomato, onion, garlic and white-wine base, traditionally served over soft polenta.
Croatian (Dalmatian) · medium · serves 4
prep 25 min · cook 45 min
~445 cal · 53g protein · 15g carbs · 15g fat · 3g fiber · 7g sugars · 4g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
↓ Jump to Recipe
AI-generated illustration
Brudet (also brodet or brujet) is the fish stew of Croatia's Adriatic coast, eaten all along Dalmatia and up through Kvarner and Istria, and a close cousin of the Italian brodetto, whose name means "little broth". Like much coastal cooking it turned a mixed, unsorted catch into a virtue: the classic rule is to use several different kinds of fish, so no single flavour dominates.
The base is a slowly cooked tomato and onion sauce sharpened with garlic, olive oil, white wine and a splash of vinegar, into which the fish is laid in chunks. Cooks are emphatic that the pot is shaken rather than stirred, so the pieces of fish hold together instead of breaking apart, and it only until the fish is just done.
Brudet is above all a fish stew with tomato, not a tomato stew with fish, and it is almost always served with soft (pura), which soaks up the rich, briny sauce.
Saved recipes and passport stamps are kept on this device. Sign in to keep them across your devices and leave reviews.
Make it yours
✓ Naturally gluten-, dairy-, egg-, nut- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 4
2 lb mixed firm fish (such as scorpionfish, mullet, mackerel), cut in chunks
1 large onion, finely chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup olive oil
1.5 lb ripe tomatoes (or tinned), chopped
1 tbsp tomato paste
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
3 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 bay leaf
to taste salt and pepper
Instructions
1
Soften the onion in the olive oil over medium heat until translucent, about 12 minutes, then add the garlic and cook a minute more.
2
Add the tomatoes, tomato paste and bay, season, and simmer until the sauce thickens and darkens, about 15 minutes.
3
Pour in the white wine and vinegar and simmer a few minutes to cook off the sharpness.
4
Lay the fish (or mushrooms and hearts of palm) into the sauce in a single layer, adding a little water if needed to almost cover.
5
Cover and simmer gently for about 15-20 minutes until the fish is just cooked, shaking the pan rather than stirring so the pieces stay whole.
✎ Chef’s note
Never stir brudet as it cooks; shake the pot instead so the fish does not fall apart.
6
Remove the bay, stir through the parsley, and serve over soft polenta.
Dalmatian coast tradition.
Ratings & reviews
Cooked it? Rate this dish:
No account needed. Sign in to leave a full review with a comment.
Cooked it?
Kept on this device, no account needed. Sign in to leave a review and keep your passport across your devices.
No reviews yet, be the first to cook it.
🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Dalmatia. Pasticada's origins are argued rather than known. Some accounts point to French rule under Napoleon, others to a Venetian and Veronese line by way of pastissada de caval, and the oldest known Dalmatian recipe is fifteenth-century Dubrovnik. What everyone agrees on is the method: larded beef, an overnight vinegar marinade, prunes and sweet prosek.
🗺️
Croatia. The peka is a bell of iron or clay set over meat and potatoes and buried under embers so the heat comes from every direction at once, the same principle as the sac used across the Balkans. Istria's white truffles are a genuine and documented claim, dug in the Motovun forest in autumn, and they sit in a region that also produces olive oil and prosciutto.
🌍
Europe. Europe has written a great deal of its food into law. A regulation of 1992 created the protected designation of origin and the protected geographical indication, tying a name to a place and a method, and an EU evaluation published in 2021 counted more than three thousand registered names across those schemes, from cheeses and hams down to particular shapes of bread.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Croatia
Dalmatinska PašticadaBeef larded and marinated in wine and vinegar, then braised a full day with prunes into a sweet-dark Adriatic feast.
PalačinkeThin crepes rolled around jam, walnut, or chocolate, a Croatian breakfast and dessert.
Zagorski ŠtrukliThin dough parcels of cottage cheese baked under cream until golden and bubbling, a comforting Croatian classic.
Browse all Croatia recipes →
Good to know
Storing it: Stews and braises keep 3 to 4 days refrigerated and often taste better the next day. Reheat gently, adding a splash of water if it has thickened.
Make it a Croatia meal
FrituleDessert
Zagorski ŠtrukliLunch
Similar dishes from around the world
MarmitakoSpain
StocafiMonaco
CioppinoUnited States
Bahamian Stew FishBahamas
Moqueca Baiana (Bahian Fish Stew)Brazil
Renga RengaBurundi
Cuisine
Diet
Gluten-Free Recipes from Around the World
Dairy-Free Recipes from Around the World
Nut-Free Recipes from Around the World
Egg-Free Recipes from Around the World
Pork-Free Recipes from Around the World
Gluten-Free Dinners from Around the World
Dairy-Free Dinners from Around the World
Nut-Free Dinners from Around the World
Egg-Free Dinners from Around the World
Frequently asked questions
What is Brudet (Dalmatian Fish Stew)?
An Adriatic stew of mixed fish simmered in a tomato, onion, garlic and white-wine base, traditionally served over soft polenta.
Where does Brudet (Dalmatian Fish Stew) come from?
Brudet (Dalmatian Fish Stew) is a Croatian (Dalmatian) dish from Dalmatia, Croatia.
Can Brudet (Dalmatian Fish Stew) be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Brudet (Dalmatian Fish Stew) recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions, including several at once such as gluten-free and dairy-free together. Treat them as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Brudet (Dalmatian Fish Stew) safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Brudet (Dalmatian Fish Stew) take to make?
About 70 minutes total (25 minutes prep, 45 minutes cooking), serving 4.
Get the Sunday Spin
One dish from somewhere in the world, in your inbox every Sunday. No spam, just dinner inspiration you can cook that day.