French-style fish head soup recipe
20/6/2012
Prepare this hearty French-style soup the peasant way, head and all.
Ingredients
| 1 tbsp | Olive oil |
| 1 | Onion |
| 1 | Carrot |
| 1 stalk | Celery |
| 1 tsp | Fennel seeds |
| 1 | Bay leaf |
| 3 sprigs | Thyme |
| 3 sprigs | Parsley |
| 3 cloves | Garlic |
| ½ | Canned tomatoes |
| 3 | Saffron threads |
| 150 ml | White wine |
| 1 tsp | Tomato puree |
| 1 kg | Fish heads |
| 1 to taste | Salt & freshly ground pepper |
Directions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot and saute the chopped onion, carrot, celery and fennel seeds for about five minutes so they are fragrant and coloured.
- Add the bay leaf, thyme, parsley, finely chopped garlic and tomatoes and cook for a few minutes. Add the saffron, white wine and tomato puree. Leave to cook for a few more minutes.
- Add the fish head and skeleton bones, cover with water and leave to simmer for 20 minutes – no more. If you leave it longer the soup will develop a bitter taste. Leave overnight to develop the flavours if possible. Otherwise, strain through a sieve. Season with salt and pepper, then reheat and serve with cheese on toast.
Tip: To make this soup more substantial, throw in some pieces of smoked fish at the end.
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