As frequent
readers may remember, I spent many summers in France in my younger days. Much of this time was in Montpellier, in the
south of France. When the weather starts to warm up, as it has recently in
Memphis, I tend to think about the food I had there.
Last weekend I had a group of
friends over for a dinner party. We did it in a sort of class format, with
recipes and cooking demos. I chose Southern French as the cuisine. For the
first seated course, we had a fish soup very representative of Provence, on the
Mediterranean coast.
Unlike heavier seafood soups,
such as gumbos or chowders, this is a light and brothy soup. It makes a great introduction to a summer
dinner, or with a salad, it makes a great luncheon on its own.
For the fish, you want a very
full flavored whitefish. I used fresh
amberjack from the Paradise Seafood truck. It has the perfect flavor and
texture, but turbot, pollack or cod would also work. A more delicate fish, such
as sole or flounder, would be lost in the lusty seasonings of this soup.
I used canned tomatoes, but when
the good summer tomatoes are available from the farmers’ markets, peel, seed
and dice them instead.
A traditional addition at the
table is a tiny splash of the regional apéritif known as pastis. It is typically served on ice, with a
generous splash of water. It has an anise flavor, which some don´t care for as
a beverage, but it makes a big difference in the flavor. A couple of the guests
were a little doubtful about a “fish soup,” but with this added touch, raved
over it.
There are several brands of
pastis available here; I use Pernod. As a drink, I’m not crazy about it, but I
find lots of other uses for it. The soup will be delicious without it, but if
you pick up a bottle to use with this soup, I promise a few other recipes using
it over the next several months.
One more note: this soup freezes
well. If you want to double it, freeze it in quart containers and you’ll have
an easy dinner or lunch when the Memphis heat makes it just too hot to cook.
4 plump
cloves garlic, minced
1 medium
onion, chopped
¾ cup
celery, minced
1 generous
pinch each dried thyme, oregano and basil
1 can (15-16
oz.) diced tomatoes
2 quarts
fish stock (see note)
1 lb.
boneless firm white fish
Baguette
toasts
Pernod or
other pastis (optional)
In a large heavy pan, heat the
oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and stir a few times, then add the onion
and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally
two minutes, then add the herbs. Continue to sauté until the vegetables are
translucent, about 5 minutes.
Add the tomatoes with their
juices. Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to as low as it will go, and cook
for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Add the fish stock,
bring to a boil and add the fish cut into small chunks. Boil rapidly for 10
minutes uncovered. Add salt to taste, cover and simmer 20 minutes.
With a
wire whisk, whisk well to break up the chunks of fish and blend the
flavors. You may need to use a potato
masher to flake the fish into small pieces. It depends on the variety of fish
you use. Serve in flat soup bowls with a
baguette toast floating on top. Pass the
Pernod bottle at the table for each person to add to taste. It just takes a
teaspoon or two for each serving. Serves 6 as a main course, or 8 as a first
course soup.
NOTES: Fish stock can
be made from concentrated fish stock base (available from Penzeys), fish
bouillon cubes (available in most Hispanic markets and some supermarkets), or
use 2 bottles clam juice and six cups water.
