Along the coastal shores of Croatia, there's a famous fish stew called brudet. We learn to make it at Mod Spuds, a new spot for comfort foods from across the globe in Center City Philadelphia.
"Every week of the World Cup, we're going to pick a country, and we're going to try to feature a signature food from that country," says Ange Branca, the owner of Mod Spuds.
This is her latest culinary venture at Broad and South Streets, and this spot is all about the loaded jacket potato.
"The first time I tried this was in Scotland," says Branca. "I studied there, and this is how I survived my university days."
The jacket is the crispy skin. The inside of the potato is light and fluffy, and it's loaded with all kinds of goodies on top!
Branca's Kampar is a two-time James Beard-nominated Malaysian restaurant in the city's Bella Vista neighborhood.
It was damaged in a fire last year, but the team stayed together while they rebuild.
"We have been doing pop-ups for the whole year all over the city, and this was the pop-up that went viral," says Branca.
They just opened a permanent spot for Mod Spuds, and each spud has its own flavor and flair.
There's the classic British jacket with baked beans and chili con carne.
If you miss her menu at Kampar, try the Malaysian spud.
"I have to make rendang here," she says. "Rendang is my braised beef and coconut cream that everyone loves, so we put that on a potato. This is the only place you can get it right now."
There's also a Philly cheesesteak and a Mexican spud.
"For the World Cup, I'm doing something really fun and really special," she says. "Our general contractor, who is rebuilding Kampar, is Croatian."
Marko Dundovich is naturally giddy over the World Cup.
"There is truly nothing bigger than soccer," he says. "Our entire country stops. It's a religion."
Marko is from Dalmatia, which sits right on the Adriatic Sea.
"Fishermen would come in the morning with a little bell and ring it, and the ladies would go out to gather a couple of pounds of fish," he explains.
He taught Ange to make a family favorite, brudet. It's a Croatian seafood stew, and we are sharing the recipe with you!
Croatian Brudet Recipe (Fish Stew) from Mod Spuds:
Ingredients:
Uses a combination of fin fish and shellfish
- 2 lbs. of fish. You can mix different types as long as the fish is fresh. It helps to choose one oily fish for flavor and one firm, lean fish for texture
- 1 bag of littleneck clams; soak them in salt water to remove sand
- 1 bag of mussels, cleaned and debearded; soak in salt water to remove sand
- Several prawns or shrimp
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 6 cloves of garlic
- 3 large onions
- 1/2 bunch of parsley, chopped
- 1 cup chopped or crushed tomatoes
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1 cup fish broth or water
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
1. In a large heavy-based saucepan, heat the oil and fry the onions until soft.
2. Add the garlic and fry for a couple of minutes.
3. Pour in 1 cup of dry white wine, followed by the chopped or crushed tomatoes and some parsley...save the rest of the parsley for garnishing at the end.
4. Cook for 10 minutes to let the flavors meld. Add a little broth/water if needed.
5. Add the clams, prawns/shrimp, and fish together first. Do not add the mussels yet at this time, because they cook very fast
6. Pour in fish broth or water only to cover the seafood halfway. The seafood will release more liquid as it cooks, so you don't want to add too much liquid and dilute the flavor of the stew.
7. Season with some salt and pepper.
8. Cover the pot and let it simmer for about 15 minutes. Don't stir the pot; just shake it so the fish does not break up.
9. Add the mussels, cover, and cook for 3-5 minutes or until they open.
10. Garnish with additional parsley and serve with pasta, creamy polenta, or go to Mod Spuds to try it on a jacket potato!