Sophie Grigson's Ciambotto

Preparing the mussels:  

1. Tip the mussels into a sink and work through them methodically, pulling away the tough beard (or byssus as it is technically known), and scraping off barnacles.       
2. Rinse each one well under the cold tap.       
3. Discard any that are broken, or that don’t close when rapped against the work surface. Rinse the whole lot one more time.  And then rinse them again to get rid of as much sand and grit as possible.

Preparing the squid:  

1. Begin by separating the head and tentacles from the body sac.       
2. Grasp the head and gently pull it away from the body, bringing with it the clear plasticky pen, and all the innards.       
3. Slice the tentacles off just above the eyes and reserve, then throw the rest of the gunk away. Now for the body – begin by pulling the wings away from the body (they detach surprisingly easily), then pull or rub away as much of the thin dark surface skin as you can, from both wings and body.       
4. Slit the squid sac open and scrape away any remaining jellyish innards.        
5. Cut sac and wings into 1 cm wide strips.        
6. Rinse under the cold tap before using. 

Preparing the fish:  

1. The golden rule here is to get your fishmonger to do most of the work for you. So, ask him or her to scale and clean all the fish and remove fins and other pointy bony bits.        
2. When you get home, rinse the fish under the cold tap.        
3. Cut medium-size fish into 1.5 cm steaks leaving the bone in situ (it adds to the flavour).        
4. Cut thicker fillets into decent sized chunks (around 3 cms across).       
5. Little fishes should just be beheaded.   

Recipe:  

1. First prepare the mussels, squid and fish (see below).      
2. Put the oil, onion, garlic and chilli into a saucepan large enough to take all the ingredients. Place over a medium heat and cook gently, without browning, until tender.      
3. Add the fennel seeds and cook for a minute or so more. Tip in the cherry tomatoes, the oregano and the parsley. Simmer, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes or so.      
4. Now, spread the pieces of fish on top, scatter over the squid strips, and top with the mussels. Pour over the glass of wine. Cover with a lid and cook for a further 10 minutes until the mussels have all opened. Give the pan a little shake, then taste the juices to see if you need to add salt.        
5. Serve in bowls with slices of garlicky toast tucked into each one.    

Chef's Note

If you have access to sustainably sourced soup fish, gut them and rinse in cold water.   Tie them up in a square of muslin and add the parcel to the sauce 5 minutes before the rest of the seafood.  Remove them before serving.   This way you can get all of the flavour without the pesky little bones.