Acqua Pazza Recipe (Italian Poached Fish)

This acqua pazza recipe simmers cod in a light broth of tomatoes, garlic, and white wine. An easy, healthy Campania classic ready in 35 minutes.

This acqua pazza recipe was the fish dish that usually showed up on our table, usually on Fridays, growing up.

Cod fillets gently poached in a lightly seasoned “crazy water” broth of cherry tomatoes, garlic, parsley, and white wine.

My mom made it this way, and I still make it almost exactly the same, just with a couple of small additions of my own.

As a retired dietitian, this is the kind of dish I love sharing! It has minimal ingredients, one pan, and a cooking method that keeps the fish moist and light.

It’s proof that a genuinely healthy dinner doesn’t need to taste like a compromise. Here’s how it comes together.

Jump to:

• Quick Overview
• What Is Acqua Pazza?
• What You’ll Need
• How to Make Acqua Pazza
• How to Serve Acqua Pazza
• Tips for Perfect Poached Fish
• FAQ
• Campania Food
• Recipe Origins
• Italian Seafood Dishes
• Recipe

Quick Overview

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 25 minutes
• Total Time: 35 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings
• Method: One-pan poaching, no oven needed
• Special Touch: Shallots and capers added to the traditional broth, a small twist on my mom’s original version, and the broth doubles as the sauce
• Dietary Note: Naturally gluten-free and high-protein
• Serving Suggestions: Serve with rustic Italian bread, or serve alongside homemade Tomato Focaccia Bread to soak up the broth

What Is Acqua Pazza?

Acqua pazza, meaning “crazy water” in Italian, is a Neapolitan dish of white fish gently poached in a light broth of tomatoes, garlic, herbs, and white wine.

It originated with fishermen in Campania who cooked their catch right on the boat using little more than seawater and simple aromatics, which is where the “crazy water” name comes from.

This version uses cod fillets and adds shallots and capers for extra flavor, but the spirit of the dish, a few humble ingredients turning into something special, stays the same.

What You’ll Need

• Extra virgin olive oil. The base for sautéing the aromatics and finishing the broth.
• Garlic. Sliced thin so it infuses the oil without overpowering the broth.
• Chili flakes. A gentle background heat, easy to adjust or omit.
• Shallot. Softer and sweeter than onion, my own addition to my mom’s original.
• Cherry tomatoes. Halved so they break down quickly and add natural sweetness to the broth.
• Capers. A briny, savory note that balances the sweetness of the tomatoes.
• Bay leaf. Steeps in the broth for background depth, removed before serving.
• Kosher salt. Seasons both the broth and the fish itself.
• White wine. Deglazes the pan and builds the backbone of the broth’s flavor.
• Fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley. Stems flavor the broth, leaves garnish the finished dish.
• Cod fillets. Or another firm white fish such as halibut, bass, or perch.
• Black pepper. Finished to taste on the fish before poaching.

How to Make Acqua Pazza

Making acqua pazza is a two-step process. First, you will need to make the broth by cooking the aromatics in a pot of wine and water. Second, you will use that same broth to poach the cod.

Making the broth

Let’s begin by prepping our ingredients.

Start by thinly slicing 2-3 garlic cloves and finely chopping 1 shallot.

You also need to halve 8 ounces of cherry tomatoes. That’s approximately 2 cups in total. Cut them in quarters if they are large.

We also need about 3-4 tablespoons of fresh chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley. Do not discard the stems, as we will use these.

Heat a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil followed by the sliced garlic and ¼ teaspoon of chili flakes. Saute for 1-2 minutes and constantly stir until the garlic is fragrant and begins sizzling. Do not brown the garlic.

Next, add the minced shallot and saute for another 2-3 minutes or until it softens. Once again, stirring constantly.

Add the halved cherry tomatoes, 1 tablespoon of capers, and 1 bay leaf. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until the tomatoes begin to soften. Season with ½ teaspoon of kosher salt.

Now, it’s time to deglaze the pan with ½ cup of white wine, followed by 1 cup of water. Add the parsley stems and 2 tablespoons of the chopped fresh parsley. We will use the remaining parsley to garnish our dish later.

Bring the mixture to a boil and then lower it to a simmer.

Poaching the fresh cod

Now that we have our flavorful broth, it’s time to add the cod. Season both sides of 4 cod fillets (1½ pounds in total) with the remainding ½ teaspoon of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper (optional).

Carefully place the cod fillets into the broth. If using fish with skin, place the skin side down. Spoon some broth and tomatoes over each fillet to ensure they are fully submerged.

Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan with a lid, and simmer for 12-15 minutes or until the fish is opaque and you can flake it apart with a fork.

The final internal temperature of the fish should reach at least 145° F (63° C). [source]

How to Serve Acqua Pazza

Once the cod is cooked, carefully remove it from the broth and place it in shallow soup bowls.

You can continue to reduce the broth to concentrate the flavors for a minute or two. Remove the bay leaf and the parsley stems. Taste the broth to adjust for seasoning.

Ladle the broth over the cod fillets and garnish with the remaining chopped parsley and a drizzle of olive oil (optional). 

Serve immediately with some crusty bread to soak up all the delicious broth.

Tips for Perfect Poached Fish

• Use the best quality and fresh ingredients for the best flavor.
• Don’t overcook the fish – it should be flaky but not falling apart.
• Taste and season the broth well for maximum flavor after the cod is cooked. 
• The cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of your fish fillets. 

FAQ

Campania Food

Campania is home to more than just seafood. Here are a few more regional favorites worth trying.

Recipe Origins

My mom was born in Benevento, in the Italian region of Campania. It is a small town in Southern Italy, close to Naples.

This poached fish dish was always on the Friday fish rotation along with the cod served with tomatoes and fried smelts.

Over the years, I have made minor changes to my mom’s recipe by adding shallots and capers and using more than just a pinch of pepper flakes for a little heat. I also prefer the ease of using cod fillets instead of whole fish.

It is a simple recipe that is light and healthy yet tasty. The key to this dish is to use the freshest ingredients possible.

This dish can be on your table in 30 minutes, making it perfect for a weeknight meal. It can also be doubled or tripled for a larger crowd.

I hope you enjoy this recipe and please feel free to share any feedback or questions in the comments below. Buon appetito!

★★★★★ If you have made this Southern Italian poached fish recipe, I would love to hear about them in the comments below and be sure to rate the recipe!

Italian Seafood Dishes

Cod isn’t the only seafood worth cooking the Italian way. Try these recipes next!

Recipe

I originally published this post on September 30, 2022, and republished it on September 4, 2026, with updated content. Thanks for sharing!