Personal

Car Stuff

Extras

Fish Soup

From Raymond Blanc's Kitchen Secrets (BBC): http://www.raymondblanc.com/
When you think of fish soup immediately the heady flavours from Provence spring to mind. On the Atlantic, we do not have as many rock fish as there are in the Mediterranean but you can still do a lovely fish soup with some Cornish Red & Grey Mullet, Gurnard. Serves 4

For the fish soup
2 Red Mullet, filleted, pin-boned and bones chopped
2 Gurnard, filleted, pin-boned and bones chopped
1 Grey filleted, pin-boned and bones chopped
1g powdered saffron /1 Saffron sachet
15ml/1 tbsp Water, hot
30ml/1 tbsp Oolive oil
60g/½ medium Oonion, finely diced
30g ½ small Carrot, finely diced
15g/3 cloves Garlic, unpeeled, lightly crushed
100g/1 medium Tomatoes, vine ripened, diced ½ cm
25g Fennel trimmings, washed and chopped
0.75g 2 packets Saffron powder
50ml Olive oil
7.5g Tomato puree
100ml White wine, boiled for 2 mins, then cooled
1 bouquet garni (1 bay leaf, 4 sprigs thyme & 2 parsley stalks
750ml Water
7.5ml Pernod
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2g/2 pinches Cayenne pepper
For the garnish
20 Croûtons, rubbed with garlic
1 recipe Rrouille (see below)

For the soup

Place the fish fillet pieces on a plate, cover with cling film and chill in the fridge until needed.

Heat a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the olive oil, onion, carrot and fennel and fry for 4-5 minutes, or until softened but not coloured.

Add the thyme sprigs, bay leaf, garlic and tomatoes, stir well and continue to cook for 1-2 minutes. Stir in the saffron powder.

Heat a separate, non-reactive saucepan until very hot, then pour in the white wine (the wine will bubble when it meets the heat of the pan). When the bubbles subside, remove the pan from the heat.

Pour the warmed wine over the vegetables, then stir in the tomato purée until well combined. Continue to cook for 2-3 minutes.

Add the fish bones to the mixture and continue to cook for 1-2 minutes. Pour over the water to cover the bones.

Bring the water to the boil, then reduce the heat until the mixture is simmering. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Continue to simmer for 20-30 minutes, skimming the surface of the mixture regularly.

When the fish soup mixture has thickened, blend ladlefuls of the mixture in a food processor, in batches, for 5-10 seconds, or until well combined. Strain each batch of blended soup through a fine sieve into a clean saucepan, pressing the mixture through the sieve with the back of the ladle to extract all of the liquid.

When you’re ready to serve, heat the strained soup and reserved fish pieces over a medium heat until warmed through and the fish is cooked through. Add a dash of pastis as you warm the soup.

For the rouille: Whisk the egg yolks and garlic in a bowl until well combined. Gradually whisk in the olive oil, in a thin stream, until the mixture has thickened and is well combined. (NB: If the rouille splits, just whisk in a little hot water to rebind.) Season, to taste, with salt, freshly ground black pepper and cayenne pepper. Finally, whisk in the saffron paste until well combined.

To serve: Ladle the fish soup into 4 large serving bowls. Top each serving with a spoonful of rouille, then sprinkle over the croûtons, grated cheese and parsley.