Classic Fish Soup with Rouille and Croutons
I have always held the belief that a truly exceptional fish soup is the ultimate barometer of a seafood restaurant's caliber. It is within this seemingly simple dish that a chef's mastery of flavor is truly revealed. A superior fish soup is a harmonious symphony of taste, requiring a generous foundation of both fish and shellfish to create a rich and complex broth. The infusion of aromatic elements such as saffron, tomatoes, red peppers, fennel, and garlic adds depth and complexity, while a subtle hint of orange peel imparts a bright and unexpected twist.
Equipment
- Food Processor
- Large Pan
- Bowls
Ingredients
For the Rouille
- 25 g ¼oz day-old white bread
- a little fish stock or water
- 2 tbsp good-quality harissa
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 egg yolk
- 250 ml 9fl oz olive oil
For the Soup
- 900 g 2lb mixed fish, such as gurnard, dogfish, cod and grey mullet
- 85 ml 3fl oz olive oil
- 75 g 3oz each onion, celery, leek and fennel, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves sliced
- juice of ½ orange plus 2 pared strips of orange zest
- 200 g 7oz tinned chopped tomatoes
- 1 small red pepper deseeded and sliced
- 1 bay leaf
- sprig of thyme
- pinch of saffron strands
- 100 g 4oz unpeeled, cooked North Atlantic prawns
- pinch of cayenne pepper
- 1.2 litres 2 pints good-quality fish stock
- 25 g 1oz Parmesan, finely grated, to serve
Instructions
- To make the rouille, cover the bread with the fish stock or water and leave to soften. Squeeze out the excess liquid and put the bread into a food processor with the harissa, garlic, egg yolk and ¼ teaspoon of salt. Blend until smooth. With the machine still running, gradually add the oil until you have a smooth, thick mayonnaise-like mixture.
- Fillet the fish, removing any bones. Heat the olive oil in a large pan, add the vegetables and garlic and cook gently for 20 minutes, or until soft but not coloured. Add the orange zest, tomatoes, red pepper, bay leaf, thyme, saffron, prawns, cayenne pepper and fish fillets.
- Cook briskly for 2–3 minutes, then add the fish stock and orange juice, bring to the boil and simmer for 40 minutes. Meanwhile, make the croûtons (see below).
- Step four Liquidise the soup and pass through a sieve into a clean pan, pressing out as much liquid as possible with the back of a ladle. Return the soup to the heat and season to taste with the cayenne, salt and pepper.
- Ladle the soup into a warmed tureen and put the croûtons, Parmesan cheese and rouille into separate dishes. To serve, ladle the soup into warmed bowls and leave each person to spread some rouille onto the croûtons, float them on their soup and sprinkle them with some of the Parmesan.
Notes
To make croûtons, thinly slice 1 baguette then fry the slices in olive oil until crisp and golden. Drain on kitchen paper and then rub a garlic clove over one side of each piece.