Seafood Soup
A British seafood soup: prawns, white fish and mussels simmered in a light fennel-and-tomato broth with white wine.
Overview
A British coastal soup that leans Mediterranean in spirit, the kind of thing a Cornish bistro might serve as a starter on a summer menu. You build a tomato-and-wine broth flavoured with garlic, fresh herbs and a homemade fish stock; the depth of that stock is everything, so use the bones and heads from whatever fish you're cooking and let them simmer down properly. Into the gently bubbling broth go a variety of fresh shellfish (mussels, clams, prawns) and chunks of firm white fish, just long enough to cook through without overcooking. The natural juices the shellfish release back into the broth become part of the soup. Eaten with crusty bread to mop, a glass of cold white wine in the other hand, the sound of the sea half-imagined out the window.
Ingredients
Base
- 60 ml olive oil
Aromatics
- 3 onions (finely chopped)
- 6 garlic cloves (crushed)
- 1 leek (finely sliced)
Vegetables
- 4 tomatoes
- 60 grams tomato purée
Protein
- 500 grams raw king prawns (whole)
- 1 raw lobster tail
- 2 fish heads
- 500 grams white fish fillet (cut into small pieces)
- 12 mussels (firmly closed)
- 200 grams scallops with corals
Seasonings
- 3 bay leaves
- small piece orange rind
- 30 grams fresh parsley (chopped)
- 30 grams fresh basil (chopped)
Liquid/Broth
- 250 ml red wine
- 500 ml water
Method
Stage 1 - Prepare seafood and vegetables
- Scrub the mussels thoroughly, removing the beards and discarding any that have broken shells or fail to close when you tap them. Set aside.
- Score a cross in the base of each tomato, and place into a pan of boiling water for 1 minute. Remove and plunge into a bowl of ice cold water, drain and peel away the skins.
Stage 2 - Make fish stock
- To make the fish stock, peel and de-vein the prawns and set the shells, heads and tails aside.
- Shell the lobster tail, and chop the meat. Set the shell aside.
- Put the lobster shell, fish heads, prawn shells, heads and tails in a large pan.
- Add the wine, 1 onion, 2 cloves of garlic, 1 bay leaf along with 500 ml water.
- Bring to the boil, and immediately reduce the heat and simmer gently for 20 minutes.
- Strain through a chinois or fine-meshed conical sieve, reserving the stock.
Stage 3 - Cook soup base
- Heat the oil in a large, heavy-based pan.
- Add the leek and remaining onion and garlic.
- Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally over a low heat for 20 minutes, or until browned.
- Add the tomato, remaining bay leaves, tomato paste and orange rind, stirring well.
- Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the reserved fish stock, bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Stage 4 - Add seafood and finish
- Add the prawns, lobster, fish pieces, mussels and scallops.
- Simmer, covered for 4 - 5 minutes.
- Discard any unopened mussels along with the rind and the bay leaves.
- Add the herbs, and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Notes
- Seafood: Use fresh; discard unopened mussels.
- Stock: Homemade adds depth; substitute with store-bought if needed.
- Orange rind: Adds subtle citrus; remove before serving.
- Timing: Don't overcook seafood; it should be just done.
Serving
Serve hot with crusty bread to soak up the broth.
Storage
- Refrigerate up to 1 day; seafood doesn't reheat well.
- Not suitable for freezing.
- Best eaten fresh.
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