Fisherman’s soup

Illustration © Céline de Cérou

Preparation : 20 mins

Cooking : 40 min (depending on the size of the fish)

Ingredients for 4 people

• 3 medium potatoes
• 4 carrots
• 1 red onion
• 1 leek
• 1 tbsp. to s. piled with celery leaves
• Around 1.2 kg of rock fish (lionfish, red mullet or several small fish)
• approximately 75 cl of water
• 8 cl of olive oil
• The juice of a lemon
• 1 squeeze of lemon, salt and freshly ground pepper

Preparation

Peel the vegetables. Cut the carrots into 4 lengthwise, then into small cubes. Cut the potatoes into large cubes, the leek into small pieces including the green part and the onions into thin half-rings. Chop the celery.

Bring the water to a boil in a kettle. Place the vegetables, olive oil, lemon juice and pepper in a large saucepan. Pour the boiling water to the level of the vegetables, approximately 75 cl. Bring to the boil (the vegetables must cook for 40 minutes).

If you are using a large fish, such as scorpionfish, you will immerse it whole in boiling water after 20 minutes of cooking the vegetables. If you have small fish, it is best to put them in cheesecloth. The red mullet must be added around ten minutes before the vegetables are finished cooking.

Cover and cook over medium heat for about 20 minutes, without stirring the fish to prevent it from falling apart. It is cooked when the flesh begins to fall apart. Remove it carefully, let cool a little, then remove the flesh with your fingers, into small and large pieces.

Take potato cubes and mash them in a bowl with a little broth. Return everything to the saucepan to thicken the sauce.

Salt moderately and add the pieces of fish. Bring to a simmer and leave to heat for a few moments.

Once the soup is ready, serve it by adding a dash of lemon and a pinch of freshly ground pepper.

Other soup recipes:

• Butternut and sweet potato “carotenoid” soup

• Fish soup with Thai flavors

• Acquacotta

• Detox soup