Fish soup and rouille

Method

In fish markets around the Mediterranean you will find boxes of tiddlers labelled simply ‘soupe’. No distinguished players are required for this version. Go for an assortment of fish, whole or in unfilleted chunks, avoiding oily fish and including a piece of conger eel for its particular sweetness.

1 For the soup, wash and gut the fish and cut it into large chunks, complete with heads, tails and fins. Heat the oil in a capacious pot and add the leeks and onion. Sweat until the onion is tender, about 10 minutes, without allowing it to brown. Stir in the fennel, garlic, peppers, tomatoes and fish. Add 2.5 litres of water and bring to the boil. Add the bouquet garni, salt, pepper, breadcrumbs, saffron and tomato paste and cook the soup, uncovered, at a soft, rolling boil for about 30 minutes.

2 Allow the soup to cool a little, then work it through a mouli légumes fitted with its finest disc to remove the bones. Discard these bones and any other undesirable debris. Alternatively, liquidise the mixture and press it through a sieve. Either way, there is no denying that this is hard, messy work, but the rewards are glorious.

3 To make the rouille, ideally use a pestle and mortar. Reduce the garlic to a cream with half a teaspoonful of salt. Work in the breadcrumbs, followed by the roasted red pepper. Adding a little at a time, work in the oil and a generous seasoning of cayenne pepper. The finished sauce should be quite thick, like a brick-red mayonnaise.

4 To make the croûtons, heat the oven to  200°C (180°C fan oven) gas mark 6. Cut the baguette in 1cm-thick slices and lay them in a single layer on one or more baking trays. Brush lightly with oil on one side and dry for 10 minutes in the oven until crisp but not hard.

5 Reheat the soup to serve, adding the pastis or ouzo and adjusting the seasoning just before serving in big bowls. Let each diner launch a few croûtons, spread generously with rouille and sprinkled with grated Parmesan, onto the surface of the soup.

Recipe by Shona Crawford Poole