Provencal fish soup

Oh, how I love this dish! For me it is the perfect combination of my favourite food type, and my favourite region in the whole world. The colour and depth of flavour encapsulate my experience of the region between Marseille and St Remy, vibrant, interesting, and above all else, something you can re-visit time after time.

Not only is this dish a great eating experience, but also a great cooking experience. Two things are very important with regards to this dish, firstly a good mix of fish, and secondly to give that real depth of flavour, a great fish stock rather than water as liquid.

As a garnish, I'm suggesting baguette with a home made rouille - follow the recipe, it's not too difficult and the rewards are tremendous!

Ingredients:

2 kg mixed white fleshed fish (not oily) - ideally rascasse (difficult to get in the UK but not Provence) - also conger eel, wrasse, monkfish, gurnard, sea bream, mullet or John Dory.

300 g shell-on prawns

100 ml olive oil

3 shallots, finely sliced

1 carrot, leek (white part only), and celery stick - all finely chopped

1 red pepper finely chopped (flesh only)

1 large head of fennel

10 garlic cloves finely chopped

800 g tinned chopped tomatoes (2 tins)

2 tablespoons tomato puree

1/2 tablespoon crushed coriander seeds

a bouquet garni of rosemary,thyme,parsley and bay leaves

juice of 1 orange

generous pinch of saffron

1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons Pernod (Ricard is my favourite...)

2.5 litres Fish stock (see below)

for the fish stock:

1 kg fish bones

1 glass white wine

1 large carrot

1 onion

2 celery sticks

a handful black peppercorns

thyme

parsley

bay leaves

for the garnish:

10 slices baguette

olive oil

rouille (see below)

freshly grated parmesan cheese

for the rouille

2 thick slices of bread

pinch of saffron strands

1 teaspoon hot water

1 grilled and skinned red pepper

1 red chilli, de-seeded and finely chopped

3 garlic cloves

1/4 teaspoon salt

110 ml olive oil

Let's start with the fish stock. Of all stocks, fish stock is the easiest and quickest to make. Indeed it should never take more than 30 minutes, as any longer runs the risk of it turning bitter.

In an ideal world, turbot and dover sole bones will make the best stock, but the bones, skin and head of any non-oily fish will make good stock.

Place the bones etc, in a large pan and add the other ingredients and seasonings. Place over a moderate to high heat for 3 minutes to burn off the alcohol in the wine, and then add enough cold water to cover generously. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 20 - 25 minutes, skimming off the scum throughout the cooking time. Bring off the heat and strain through a fine sieve and allow to cool.

In another large pan, add the vegetables, garlic and the coriander seeds, and sweat in olive oil over a lowish heat for 15-20 minutes. Now add the tomatoes, tomato puree, bouquet garni, orange juice and seasoning. Cook over a higher heat for 5 minutes, and add the fish stock.

Bring to the boil and immediately lower the heat and simmer for 40 minutes. Add the fish and the prawns and simmer for a further 10 minutes. Now add the saffron, cayenne and the pernod and simmer again for 10 minutes.

Remove from the heat, and cool slightly, removing the bouquet garni. Now liquidise the whole contents including the prawn shells, possibly in batches to a smooth sludge. Now pass the soup through a fine sieve, pressing through all the juices. Taste and adjust the seasoning with a generous amount of black pepper. Keep warm.

Now for the rouille! 

Tear the bread roughly and place in a bowl. Add enough water to cover and leave for 10 minutes. Place the saffron in a small bowl and add a tablespoon of hot water and seep for 10 mintes. Take the de-seeded, skinned and grilled red pepper and place in a food processor with the chilli and garlic. Drain the bread and squeeze out the water with your hands, add some salt, and also place in the food processor and process into a smooth paste. Now work in the olive oil as if making mayonnaise, finally stirring in the saffron and water.

Finally, heat the oven to 200 C and take the slices of baguette and brush generously with olive oil. Bake in the oven until golden brown and crisp.

To serve:

Warm the fish soup, by now a great brick red colour, and serve individually alongside the bread, the rouille (wait until you taste this!) and the grated parmesan cheese.

Although a fairly lengthy process, the joy of this dish is in hearing your guests delight at the combination of flavours and of course, your personal memories of Provence!

A spectacular dish!!!

Comments

[Signe]

A thorough, yet easy-to-follow recipe. Can imagine how good this tastes, not to mention the fragrant aromas from fennel, rosemary and all that garlic. A recipe after my own heart, shall have to try this as cooler autumn nights draw in.