Clergy Kitchen: Croatian seafood a family tradition for Father Picinic

Editor’s Note: In keeping with the tradition of abstinence on Fridays during Lent, priests of the Diocese of Camden have generously offered to share their favorite meatless recipes. Here, Father John Picinic, pastor of Christ Our Light Parish, Cherry Hill, shares a favorite seafood meal.

I am excited to share a favorite dish from my family heritage. Both my parents were born on a small island in the Adriatic Sea called Susak, or in Italian, Sansego.

PHOTO GALLERY: Cooking Brudet with Father Picinic

The island is part of Croatia, though it is a melting pot of varying cultures and nearby nations. Some on the island consider themselves Italians, but there is also a great cultural influence from the Dalmatic-South Slavic regions, as well as an Austro-Hungarian influence.

One dish is what the islanders and even the mainlanders call Brudet, or Brodet – an Italian-influenced seafood sauce. 

I know all too well that South Jersey folks and Philadelphians call it gravy when there is meat in the sauce; everything else is marinara or called by its proper name, i.e., Bolognese, etc. I am sorry folks, if you go to Italy, all sauce is called “sugo.” This also goes for all the neighboring Mediterranean countries: None call it gravy!

When you think of Lent and especially Fridays, you think of sacrifice. Coming from a family where we ate seafood about four to five times a week, it would have been more of a sacrifice to give up seafood than meat. My dad, God rest him, understood this well, and on all Fridays in Lent, he would only have bread and water, nothing else.

I have been making this dish since my teens. My dad taught it to me, though I have picked up some variances along the way,.

I pray you all have a grace-filled Lent with many blessings, and if you get the chance to make this dish, please remember my dad, Ivan Picinic, in your prayers. God bless you.

Brudet

Ingredients

• Scallops – about 10-12 depending on size
• Little neck or middle neck clams – 2 dozen
• Shrimp – about 2 dozen
• Mussels – about 2 dozen
• Calamari – about ¾ lbs.
• 5-6 tablespoons mild/light olive oil
• 2 cans of San Marzano tomatoes
• 2 small yellow onions, or 1 very large
• 6-7 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh basil
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley
• 1 tsp. of black pepper
• 1/4 cup dry white wine

Please NO salt! I will explain.

Directions

Clean and wash all the seafood, especially the clams and mussels. You want to get all the sand and extra salt washed out; let each soak for 15 minutes in water, then pour out the water and fully rinse about 4-5 times.

Heat olive oil. Add garlic, basil, parsley and onions. Sauté for about 10 minutes on low to medium heat. Be very careful, as every oven burns a little different. Once onions are yellowish, add the white wine and let cook for 2-3 minutes.

Blend the San Marzano tomatoes so you are not getting chunks of tomato; once sauce is in pot, add black pepper. Do not add salt – there is plenty of salt that is going to come from the seafood medley.

Let cook for 15 minutes on low to medium heat.

In boiling tomato stew add seafood in this order:

• Scallops, if they are baby scallops, then add last
• After 3 minutes, add calamari
• After 3 minutes, add clams and mussels
• After 3 minutes, add shrimp

Let it cook for about 6-7 minutes after you added the shrimp; stir lightly every minute or so.

Do not go past medium heat (unless your stove stop burns very low); basically somewhere between low and medium. Total cook time once you put seafood in is about 18-19 minutes, but you may need a little more. Taste to see if seafood ingredients are done.

Serve over any pasta, polenta or even just with some good old Italian rustic bread.

Enjoy!