An intensly flavoured , brick-red soup , served with garlicy croutons and rouille sprinkled with grated Gruyere cheese .
Serves 6 ( or 3 greedies )
soup
2kg mixed fish ( rascasse is traditional , but red mullet will do , wrasse , gurnard , bream , bass , conger eel , monkfish or most non-oily fish ) , the greater the mix the better .
250g of shell-on prawns
100ml good olive oil
1 onion , chopped
1 carrot , sliced
1 leek , white bit , sliced
1 red pepper , seeds out , chopped
1 celery stick , sliced
1 big fennel bulb , chopped
8 garlic cloves , chopped
1/2tbsp coriander seeds , crushed
2 tins of tomatoes
2tbsp of tomatoe puree
1 sprig rosemary , 2 sprigs of thyme , 3 sprigs of parsley , 2 bay leaves , ( bouquet garni )
juice of 1 small orange
1 strip of orange zest
2.5 litres of good fish stock
good pinch of saffron
3tbsp Pernod
1/2tsp cayenne pepper
salt and lots of pepper
Garnish
12 slices French baguette ( baked 'till golden )
cloves of raw garlic
olive oil
rouille
freshly grated Gruyere cheese
Rouille
2 slices French baguette ( about 25mm wide )
pinch of saffron
1 tbsp of hot water
1 red pepper , grilled and skinned
1 fresh red chilli , de-seeded and chopped
3 garlic cloves
salt
100ml olive oil
Method for soup
Put the oil , vegetables , garlic and coriander seeds in a large pan , stir to coat , cover , then sweat over low heat for 15-20 mins .
Now add the tomatoes , tomato puree , bouquet garni , orange juice and zest , fish ( roughly cut into chunks ) , prawns (shells and all ), salt and pepper.
Cook over high heat for 5 mins , stiring occasionally .
Now add the stock , bring to boil and simmer for 45mins .
Add the saffron , Pernod and cayenne pepper , simmer for 10 mins more .
Allow to cool a little , fish out the herb bundle , then liquidise the contents of the pan to a smooth sludge .
Poor , then press the sludge through a fine sieve , taste for seasoning .
The soup can be made in advance and kept in the fridge before re-heating .
Method for the rouille
Tear the bread into a bowl , add the hot water and leave for 10 mins .
Steep the saffron in a small bowl with a spoon of hot water .
De-seed and chop the pepper , place in food processor or mortar with the chilli , garlic and squeezed bread , add seasoning .
Process or pound to a paste and then work in the olive oil , like a mayo' , add the saffron and water , taste and season .
To serve
Brush the 12 slices of baguette with olive oil and bake untill golden at 200* , turning once .
Place the bread slices in a bowl and pass around with the bowls of hot soup .
The idea is to rub the slices with raw garlic ( optional ) , spoon on some rouille , sprinkle with the grated Gruyere ( or mild Parmeasan ) , then depending on how French you feel , drop the whole lot into the soup . Some people drop in 3 or 4 , then mush them up , but me being English and not allowed to play with my food , can only bring myself to drop in one at a time .
Any leftover soup ( not likely ) , can be re-heated later or even frozen .
Almost forgot , good wines for this would be a Bandol or even better a white Cassis .
Serves 6 ( or 3 greedies )
soup
2kg mixed fish ( rascasse is traditional , but red mullet will do , wrasse , gurnard , bream , bass , conger eel , monkfish or most non-oily fish ) , the greater the mix the better .
250g of shell-on prawns
100ml good olive oil
1 onion , chopped
1 carrot , sliced
1 leek , white bit , sliced
1 red pepper , seeds out , chopped
1 celery stick , sliced
1 big fennel bulb , chopped
8 garlic cloves , chopped
1/2tbsp coriander seeds , crushed
2 tins of tomatoes
2tbsp of tomatoe puree
1 sprig rosemary , 2 sprigs of thyme , 3 sprigs of parsley , 2 bay leaves , ( bouquet garni )
juice of 1 small orange
1 strip of orange zest
2.5 litres of good fish stock
good pinch of saffron
3tbsp Pernod
1/2tsp cayenne pepper
salt and lots of pepper
Garnish
12 slices French baguette ( baked 'till golden )
cloves of raw garlic
olive oil
rouille
freshly grated Gruyere cheese
Rouille
2 slices French baguette ( about 25mm wide )
pinch of saffron
1 tbsp of hot water
1 red pepper , grilled and skinned
1 fresh red chilli , de-seeded and chopped
3 garlic cloves
salt
100ml olive oil
Method for soup
Put the oil , vegetables , garlic and coriander seeds in a large pan , stir to coat , cover , then sweat over low heat for 15-20 mins .
Now add the tomatoes , tomato puree , bouquet garni , orange juice and zest , fish ( roughly cut into chunks ) , prawns (shells and all ), salt and pepper.
Cook over high heat for 5 mins , stiring occasionally .
Now add the stock , bring to boil and simmer for 45mins .
Add the saffron , Pernod and cayenne pepper , simmer for 10 mins more .
Allow to cool a little , fish out the herb bundle , then liquidise the contents of the pan to a smooth sludge .
Poor , then press the sludge through a fine sieve , taste for seasoning .
The soup can be made in advance and kept in the fridge before re-heating .
Method for the rouille
Tear the bread into a bowl , add the hot water and leave for 10 mins .
Steep the saffron in a small bowl with a spoon of hot water .
De-seed and chop the pepper , place in food processor or mortar with the chilli , garlic and squeezed bread , add seasoning .
Process or pound to a paste and then work in the olive oil , like a mayo' , add the saffron and water , taste and season .
To serve
Brush the 12 slices of baguette with olive oil and bake untill golden at 200* , turning once .
Place the bread slices in a bowl and pass around with the bowls of hot soup .
The idea is to rub the slices with raw garlic ( optional ) , spoon on some rouille , sprinkle with the grated Gruyere ( or mild Parmeasan ) , then depending on how French you feel , drop the whole lot into the soup . Some people drop in 3 or 4 , then mush them up , but me being English and not allowed to play with my food , can only bring myself to drop in one at a time .
Any leftover soup ( not likely ) , can be re-heated later or even frozen .
Almost forgot , good wines for this would be a Bandol or even better a white Cassis .
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