Pasta Soup with Scorpionfish, Broccoli and Potatoes

Method

1. Clean the scorpionfish: carefully cut off the spiky fins (they are poisonous), remove the innards, gills, and scales. Rinse thoroughly.
2. Fillet the fish: cut around the head and along the spine to remove two fillets. Remove any remaining pin bones with tweezers.
3. Cut the fish carcass (head and bones) into large pieces. Place in a pot with a generous amount of olive oil, two garlic cloves, parsley stems, and a tablespoon of tomato passata (or crushed tomatoes). Turn the heat to high.
4. Once sizzling, add a glass of rosé wine. Let the alcohol evaporate, then add enough water to cover the bones. Bring to a boil, then skim off any foam. Simmer for about 20 minutes to make a flavorful broth.
5. While the broth simmers, prepare the vegetables: cut the Roman broccoli into small florets, peel and dice the potatoes. In a separate pan, heat olive oil with a halved garlic clove. Add the broccoli and potatoes and sauté until lightly roasted.
6. Squeeze a peeled tomato into the pan (or add a spoonful of crushed tomatoes). Remove the garlic clove.
7. Strain the fish broth through a sieve into the pan with the vegetables. Stir to combine. Cook for about 10 minutes until the vegetables start to soften.
8. Add the short pasta to the pan. Season with a pinch of salt. Cook until al dente, according to pasta package timing (the chef says about 10 minutes for the broccoli to finish cooking with the pasta).
9. Meanwhile, heat a separate non-stick pan with a little olive oil. Place the skin-on fish fillet (one of the two) skin side down and cook until crispy and golden. Flip and cook briefly on the flesh side.
10. Once the pasta is done, turn off the heat. Let the soup rest for a minute.
11. To serve, ladle the soup into a shallow bowl (the chef uses a black plate). Place the crispy fish fillet on top, skin side up.
12. Garnish with chopped parsley, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, optional fresh chili, and a dusting of grated pecorino cheese.