Ingredients for the Gradeser fish soup
- Fish pieces as desired
- 3-4 cloves of garlic
- ½ glass of oil
- 1 glass of wine vinegar
- Coarse salt
- Plenty of pepper
- White polenta flour
Preparation of Gradeser fish soup
"Boreto a la graisana"
Heat the oil in a large, shallow casserole dish over a high heat, add the peeled garlic cloves and fry until brown. Remove the brown garlic cloves and place the dry fish pieces in the pan. Fry them over a high heat, turning occasionally so that they are browned on both sides. Add the vinegar, water, coarse salt and plenty of pepper. Cover the pan and leave the ingredients to cook for about 10 minutes so that the dish is flavoursome (the cooking time may vary depending on the amount of fish). Check the consistency of the sauce, it should not be too runny. In the meantime, prepare the polenta to be served with the boreto.
The Gradese fish soup "Boreto a la graisana", the dish par excellence, which is offered in different variations, is a must-try.
It is an ancient, unique dish, served with polenta made from white maize semolina and characterised by simple ingredients (fresh fish, olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper and vinegar). Its secret is its very simple preparation, as "boreto" is a way of cooking fish.
Boreto a la graisana is a simple dish for which the fishermen living in the lagoon inevitably used inferior fish. It was and still is accompanied by white polenta, which is less refined and cheaper than yellow polenta. Garlic and vinegar were once used to mask the flavour of the less noble fish, while the use of plenty of pepper bears witness to Grado's glorious past as the port of Aquileia (the spices came from Byzantium to the trading centre of Aquileia). The preparation is time-consuming and is an ancient ritual that rewards the hard work of the fishermen and reaffirms their identity. Originally this dish was prepared with a single species of fish, namely flatfish or mullet, but today it can be ordered in the best restaurants in Grado in different variations (mantis shrimp, crab, anchovies, eel, monkfish, etc.) or with different species cooked together. And finally, a few wine recommendations: In the past, only white wine was served with this dish, but today, depending on the type of fish used, it can be accompanied by a red wine, Merlot or Refosco (a local grape variety that was already cultivated by the Romans).
