Monday, December 09, 2013

Soupe de poissons

On Sunday, I made a version of the classic fish soup from southern France. Ken and I researched our provençal cook books and a few sites online to find the basics for the recipe. Then we adapted them to what we have on hand. Our supermarket didn't have the typical Mediterranean fish used for the soup -- the small, boney, flavorful species like rascasse (lionfish) and rouget (red mullet) -- so I improvised.

My fish soup, garnished and served with a very dry Touraine rosé.

With the standard fish, you cook them whole, with heads and bones, to make a rich, fishy soup base. But you then have to be very careful to get all the bones out of the broth. That involves straining and sieving and straining again, and it sounded like a lot of work. Since we already had a liter of home-made fish stock in our freezer, we figured that we could just use boned fillets for the soup. I found cabillaud (cod), colin d'Alaska (Alaskan pollock), églefin (haddock), and merlan (whiting). All together, I had about 850 grams of fish.

About 850g (almost 2 lbs.) of fish fillets, cut into chunks.

I chopped a leek, onions, and a fennel bulb and sauteed them in a bit of olive oil (here's a question for you francophones out there: quand on fait revenir des légumes dans une cocotte, d'où reviennent-ils ?). I added some celery (branches and leaves), our own oven-dried tomatoes, tomato paste, chili paste, whole garlic cloves, bay leaf, thyme, peppercorns, allspice berries, a bit of fresh orange peel, and salt. Then the stock went in with an equivalent amount of water (to make two liters of liquid).

The soup simmers gently. That chain hanging from the pot is attached to a little ball that holds the peppercorns, bay, and orange peel.

Once the soup came to the boil, the fish went in and I turned it down to simmer, covered, for about an hour. The vegetables needed to tenderize and the fish needed to cook to the point where it was falling apart in the broth. Once it was done, I used a stick blender to reduce it all to a relatively smooth and thick soup. Not having to deal with bones was nice, but I wouldn't shy away from doing it if necessary.

This soup is typically served with toasted baguette slices topped with a rouille sauce (a spicy mayonnaise made with garlic and hot red pepper) and grated parmesan or other cheese. Our improvised version was delicious (if I do say so myself). And, we have leftovers for another meal.

12 comments:

  1. Ohhh.. I'm dying here. That looks absolutely fabulous ! But when I asked for home delivery, this wasn't exactly what I had in mind.

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  2. That does look delish!
    Mind you...
    I think I'd have been sorely tempted to four-go the whizzy-stick bit and chuck in a few spuds and make it a multi-textured thick soup...
    those lumps of fish look too good to blend...
    Still serve it with the toasty-mayo-cheesy floaters, tho'...

    Did the rosé turn white? Or is that a trick of the light...or a second bottle of something?

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    1. tim, that's a very dry and very pale Touraine rosé made from pineau d'aunis.

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  3. Yummy yummy yummy for my tummy...great soup Walt....like Tim above I would have left my soup chunky....it looks really good.

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  4. You two must have such a sense of accomplishment every time you cook-- so many home-grown, home-made, home-preserved goodies to go with your excellent efforts. This looks just wonderful!

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  5. Stuart and Judith are so right! Comfort, delicious soup; "Je n'en reviens pas"!

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  6. with tomato paste in there why is it not more red/pink?

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    1. melinda, we didn't over do it, and we also added turmeric, so it kind of yellowed a bit.

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  7. Oh Walt, that looks magnificent! As I sit here with my cold cereal and coffee, I marvel at the dedication and joy you and Ken have for fresh, well cooked and served food. Having tasted some of the fruits of your labors, I do know what I am missing !

    ~Christine

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  8. You and Ken are so inspiring. Wish I had some homemade fish stock in my freezer. Your lunch looks so appetizing.
    Is your question a 'trick' question, Walt? My translation is ~ where do your vegetables come back from? My answer would be, they come back from the market!

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  9. Soup is my favorite; and I've never had fish soup. Alas, when soup is available here, it is of the same '6' and there is seldom if anythings beyond the basics. I think this a pity, given all the wonderful soups to try- like yours!

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  10. I had my very first bowl of fish soup in France. Loved it!

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