Fish and Romanesco Broccoli Soup with Ditali

Method

1. Clean the scorpionfish (scorfano): cut off the head, remove guts, and scale carefully. Separate fillets from the backbone, keeping the bones for broth.
2. In a large pot, heat olive oil and sauté garlic, parsley stems, and a piece of tomato for the broth base.
3. Add the fish backbone and head, and sear over high heat until browned. Deglaze with water, then add more water to cover. Simmer and skim off any foam. Strain and reserve the fish broth.
4. In a separate pot, sauté a garlic clove in oil, then add diced potato and small florets of romanesco broccoli. Cook briefly.
5. Add a piece of fresh tomato, crushed. Pour in the strained fish broth and bring to a simmer.
6. When the vegetables are almost tender, add the ditali pasta. Cook until al dente, adjusting liquid as needed.
7. Halfway through pasta cooking, add half of the fish fillets (cut into cubes) to the soup to cook gently.
8. In a non-stick pan, sear the remaining fish fillet cubes in hot oil until crispy and golden.
9. To serve, ladle the soup into bowls, top with the crispy fish, a drizzle of good olive oil, fresh parsley, and a pinch of chili (if desired).
10. Optionally, grate some pecorino cheese on top.