Abbacchio alla cacciatora is a Roman lamb stew from Lazio, cooked on the stovetop with garlic, rosemary, sage, white wine, and white wine vinegar. What makes it distinctively Roman is the anchovy paste which you stirr into the pan juices near the end. The anchovies dissolve completely. There is no fish flavour in the finished dish. Instead you get a deep, salty backbone that lifts everything else and makes the sauce taste like it has been cooking for hours longer than it has.
The ingredients are few and specific. You need salt-packed or oil-packed anchovy fillets – not anchovy paste from a tube, which lacks the depth. Add the white wine vinegar with some care; too much and the acidity dominates, too little and the sauce tastes flat. Use a flour and water slurry to help the sauce bind and give it some body. Rosemary and sage are both present throughout the braise; a little extra rosemary goes into the anchovy paste at the end.
Serve it with Italian rosemary potatoes because this just goes with this dish perfectly.
What does Abbacchio Mean?
Abbacchio is the Roman word for milk-fed lamb no older than 40 days. In Rome, abbacchio romano carries IGP (Indicazione Geografica Protetta – protected geographical indication) status. This means the lamb must be born, reared, and slaughtered within Lazio. Its meat is pale pink, very tender, and mild in flavour. But outside Italy, milk-fed lamb of this type is not easy to find. So you can use diced lamb shoulder in its place – the higher fat content keeps the meat moist through the braise. Leg is leaner and produces a slightly cleaner result.
What does alla Cacciatora mean?
The term alla cacciatora (hunter-style) appears across Italian cooking from Liguria to Campania and typically means a stew with wine, herbs, and sometimes tomato. But the Lazio version is distinct: no tomato, white wine and vinegar rather than red, and the anchovy finish as the defining touch.
What are Rome’s Best Lamb Dishes?
The dish sits alongside abbacchio alla Romana as one of the two central Roman lamb preparations. Abbacchio alla Romana is a longer oven roast which Romans traditionally eat on Easter Sunday. But abbacchio alla cacciatora is a faster stovetop stew. Both use the same anchovy-vinegar flavour markers. This stovetop method means the sauce is ready in well under an hour once the lamb has browned.
Frequently Asked Questions
Buon appetito! 🇮🇹
More Lazio Recipes
- Trippa alla Romana – tripe slow-cooked with tomato, pecorino, and mint. One of Rome’s most loved street dishes.
- Abbacchio alla Romana – milk-fed lamb roasted in the oven with anchovies, garlic, and rosemary. Rome’s Easter centrepiece.
Abbacchio alla Cacciatora
Equipment
- Wide heavy-based pan with lid
- Food processor or small blender
- Tongs
- Wooden Spoon
- Sharp knife and chopping board
Ingredients
- 800 grams lamb dice (seasoned with salt)
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
- 2 sprigs rosemary (needles picked and finely chopped (discard stalk))
- 2 sage leaves (finely chopped)
- 4 anchovy fillets in oil
- 100 ml white wine vinegar
- 100 ml white wine
- Salt
- Pepper
- 1 tbsp flour
Instructions
- Season the lamb with salt and pepper.
- Heat the oil in a wide pan over high heat and brown the lamb hard on all sides in batches. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- Pour the white wine into the pan to deglaze, scraping up any browned bits. Reduce by half.
- Add half the anchovies, half the garlic, the rosemary, sage, half the vinegar, and the bay leaf to the pan. Return the lamb, cover, and cook on a very low heat for 45-50 minutes until tender. Add little water if the stew becomes dry.
- Blend the remaining anchovy fillets with the remaining garlic and remaining vinegar to a rough paste. When the lamb is cooked, stir the anchovy paste into the pan juices and let it bubble for 2-3 minutes.
- Mix the flour with some water to make a slurry and add it in to the stew to thicken the sauce until you get a nice thick consistency that drips off a spoon.
- Remove from the heat and rest for 20-30 minutes before serving.
- Serve with Italian rosemary potatoes.
Notes
- Abbacchio romano IGP (milk-fed lamb) is the traditional cut. Outside Italy, diced lamb shoulder or leg works well. Shoulder gives a richer sauce.
- Oil-packed anchovy fillets work well here. Avoid anchovy paste from a tube – it lacks the depth of whole fillets.
- The resting time is as important in this stew as it is with roasted meat. The meat relaxes and the flavours settle in those 20-30 minutes.
