 Can you please send me a good recipe for fish?
Mitchell Tonks has a favourite fish soup recipe, Zuppa de Pescatore.
As Mitch says in his introduction to this recipe, “it has a fresh outdoor taste and looks fabulously impressive on the table. I love serving this in a great big pan in the middle of the table, just lift off the lid and let everyone tuck in. The other great thing about it is that it’s really easy to do!”
Ingredients
(Serves 4)
For the Aioli
2 egg yolks
1 tsp Dijon mustard
4 cloves of garlic, pasted
5 fl oz (150ml) good olive oil
Juice of ½ a lemon
Sea salt
For the Zuppa
1 shallot, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
Olive oil
2 roasted tomatoes
A pinch of saffron
3 or 4 sprigs of thyme
A splash of Pernod
A selection of fish – lobster, clams, mussels, chunks of skate, steaks of hake, gurnard and cod – buy enough to fill the pan packed tightly in one layer
1 pint (600ml) fish stock
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Slices of rustic bread, toasted
Parsley or basil chopped, for sprinkling over the top of the grilled bread
Method
First make the aioli. Put the egg yolks in a bowl with the mustard and garlic. Whilst whisking add the olive oil in a steady stream until a thick emulsion is formed. Add the lemon juice, season, and let it stand for an hour before serving.
To make the Zuppa, in a large pan on the simmering plate, sweat the shallots and garlic in olive oil. The Aga cast aluminium roaster is perfect for this dish. Add the tomatoes, saffron and thyme and stir together. Add the Pernod and tip the pan away from you and ignite to burn off the alcohol.
Add the fish and cover with the fish stock. Bring to the boil on the boiling plate then transfer to the Simmering Plate and simmer for 8-10 minutes.
Remove the thyme and season well. Finally sprinkle with fresh chopped herbs and accompany with grilled bread topped with rich, garlicky aioli.
Taken from FishWorks Seafood Café Cookbook, by Mitchell Tonks |
