Name: Tegamaccio del Trasimeno
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 1 h 10 min
Total time: 1 h 35 min
Cuisine: Italian, Umbria
Ingredients: 600 g cleaned eel, cut into 5–6 cm pieces; 400 g perch fillets, cut into large pieces; 80 ml extra-virgin olive oil; 250 g golden onions, finely chopped; 2 garlic cloves, lightly crushed; 1 small fresh chilli, split; 180 ml dry white wine; 500 g peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand; 40 g tomato paste; 8 g fine sea salt, adjust to fish; 1/2 tsp black pepper; 20 g flat-leaf parsley, chopped at the end; 8 slices rustic bread, toasted; 1 garlic clove, optional, for rubbing toast

Tegamaccio del Trasimeno: wide hero view of the finished traditional dish

Prep25 minutes

Cook1 h 10 min

Total1 h 35 min

Yield6 servings

Jump to recipe ↓

The dish

About Tegamaccio del Trasimeno

Umbriatourism identifies tegamaccio as a Lake Trasimeno fish stew and specifies eel and royal perch among its key fish.

The official recipe softens onion, garlic and chilli in olive oil, adds eel, deglazes with dry white wine and adds tomatoes before the first 30-minute simmer.

Perch fillets are then added for another low simmer; the fish should not be turned with a spoon, and the pot is moved in circular motions instead.

Parsley is added at the end and the stew is served piping hot over toasted bread, which absorbs the tomato-rich lake-fish broth.

Technique

Three things that matter

Stage the fish. Eel tolerates the longer first simmer; delicate perch goes in later.
Never stir after fillets enter. Rotating the pot prevents sticking without breaking the fish into flakes.
Keep a true simmer. A hard boil emulsifies fat, breaks fish and muddies the broth.

Cook the dish

Ingredients

Everything needed to prepare the dish, arranged for fast scanning before cooking.

Fish stew

600 gcleaned eelcut into 5–6 cm pieces
400 gperch filletscut into large pieces
80 mlextra-virgin olive oil
250 ggolden onionsfinely chopped
2garlic cloveslightly crushed
1 smallfresh chillisplit
180 mldry white wine
500 gpeeled tomatoescrushed by hand
40 gtomato paste
8 gfine sea saltadjust to fish
1/2 tspblack pepper
20 gflat-leaf parsleychopped at the end

To serve

8 slicesrustic breadtoasted
1garlic cloveoptional, for rubbing toast

Step by step

Method

Build the aromatic base

Sweat onion and aromatics. Warm olive oil over low heat and soften onion, garlic and chilli for 8–10 minutes.
The onion should be translucent and sweet, not browned.
Add the eel. Lay eel pieces into the pot and cook gently for 4–5 minutes, turning only enough to coat.
The surfaces should turn opaque without breaking.
Deglaze with wine. Add white wine and simmer several minutes until the raw alcohol aroma has faded.
The liquid should reduce slightly while the fish remains intact.

Create the tomato stew

Add tomato. Stir crushed peeled tomatoes and tomato paste into the spaces around the eel; season lightly.
The sauce should surround the pieces without fully submerging them in a thin soup.
First slow simmer. Cover partly and simmer the eel over low heat for 30 minutes.
The surface should only tremble with small bubbles.
Prepare the perch. Check perch fillets for bones and cut into large pieces while the eel cooks.
Pieces should be large enough to survive the final simmer without disintegrating.

Add delicate fish and serve

Lay in perch. Place perch pieces gently on and between the eel; from this point do not stir with a spoon.
The fillets should sit in a single loose layer where possible.
Finish without stirring. Simmer 20–30 minutes more; periodically rotate or shake the whole pot in small circular movements.
The perch should be opaque and reach 63°C while holding its shape.
Add parsley and serve. Remove chilli and garlic if desired, fold parsley over the surface and ladle stew carefully onto toasted bread.
Bread should soak up broth while identifiable fish pieces remain intact.

Practical guidance

Bread

Rub hot toast with a cut garlic clove for the classic rustic base if desired.

Fish substitution

Lake Trasimeno fish are central to the dish; if exact species are unavailable, substitute similarly firm freshwater fish while labeling the result as an adaptation.

Pot handling

Use two mitts and controlled circular movements rather than lifting and jerking a heavy hot casserole.

Troubleshooting

Fish disintegrates. The stew was boiled or stirred after the perch was added.
Sauce is too thin. Use peeled tomatoes plus paste and a partly uncovered gentle simmer rather than adding excess water.
Eel remains firm. Give the first stage more time before adding the perch.

Nutrition per serving

Serving size: 1 bowl with toast
Calories: approximately 590 kcal
Carbohydrates: 35 g
Protein: 39 g
Fat: 31 g
Fibre: 4 g
Sodium: 720 mg

Actual calories vary with eel fat and bread quantity.

Allergens and food safety

Contains fish and gluten from bread.

Check all fish carefully for bones.

Cook fish to at least 63°C and cool leftovers promptly; reheat to 74°C.

FAQ

Why is it called tegamaccio?

The name refers to the rustic earthenware cooking vessel traditionally used for the stew.

Why is the fish not stirred?

Delicate lake-fish fillets break easily; rotating the whole pot moves sauce around them without shredding them.

Which fish are characteristic?

The official Umbrian recipe specifically uses eel and royal perch.

Final note

What matters most

Result: A deep tomato-and-wine lake-fish stew with tender eel, intact perch and broth soaked into crisp toasted bread.
Key: Cook eel first, add delicate fillets later and rotate the pot instead of stirring.