FISH HEAD SOUP RECIPES

Steps:

• Heat a large heavy stockpot and to it add the olive oil. Add the fish bones and cook them over low heat, covered, until any flesh on them flakes from the bones. Add the vegetables and any shells from the shrimp, cover and cook over low heat until the vegetables sweat, about 10 minutes.
• Deglaze the pot with the wine, scraping up any particles sticking to the bottom of the pan. Stir in the saffron, thyme, and basil.
• Add the fish stock or water, and let the mixture gently boil for 1 hour. Then puree it in a food processor or pass it through a food mill. Pass the puree through a medium strainer into a clean stockpot. Stir in the Pernod. Season the base, to taste, with salt, pepper and cayenne. The soup should have a full-bodied flavor: If it seems weak, reduce it over low heat to concentrate the flavor.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Skim any fish oil from the top of the soup and reserve it to stir into the rouille.
• Toast the croutons in the oven until golden, and then brush with rouille.
• Bring the soup to a boil. Add the shellfish and/or uncooked fish fillets to the soup, 1 variety at a time. Cook each until done; then remove from the soup and keep warm. (The lobsters will take about 10 minutes and their shells will be bright red when done; medium shrimp will take 3 or 4 minutes to cook; fish fillets from 1 to 7 minutes, depending on their thickness (they should remain slightly underdone); and the mussels and clams only cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until their shells open).
• Presentation: Place 1 crouton in the bottom of each large, shallow, heated soup plates. Then arrange the fish and/or shellfish around each crouton. Ladle the hot soup over all. Serve immediately. Pass additional rouille in a separate serving bowl.
• Clean the fish bones under cold running water, removing the gills from the head and any traces of blood on the frames.
• In a large saucepan, heat the oil. In it sweat the fish bones and vegetables over low heat, covered, for 10 minutes, stirring once or twice to prevent them from browning.
• Deglaze the pan with the wine, and then add enough water to cover the bones and vegetables by 2 inches. Add the bouquet garni and bring the liquid to a boil. Skim the froth from the surface, reduce the heat, and simmer the stock for 20 to 25 minutes.
• Strain the stock into a clean saucepan. Bring it to a boil and reduce it over medium heat to 1 quart.
• Note: Fish stock will keep in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days or frozen for 2 to 3 weeks. After that time the flavor begins to fade.
• Yield: 1 quart
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 35 minutes
• In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, garlic, mustard, and chili flakes. Whisk in the oil in a very slow steady stream until the sauce begins to emulsify. Add the remaining oil in a thin stream until all of it is incorporated. Add the saffron. Thin the sauce with the stock and season, to taste, with lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
• Yield: 1 1/2 cups
• Prep Time: 10 minutes

Steps:

• Fillet the fish, set aside the trimmings and remove any small bones from the fillets with tweezers. Set the fillets aside to be added to the soup later.
• To make the stock, roughly chop the fish trimmings into three parts. Heat a large, heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat, and add the olive oil.
• Add the fish trimmings and fry for 5-10 minutes until they begin to brown. Remove the fish trimmings from the pan and set aside on a plate.
• Add the shallot, fennel, tomatoes, garlic, thyme, bay leaves, saffron and star anise. Fry gently over a medium heat for a few minutes, stirring regularly, until the vegetables have softened.
• Add the cooked fish trimmings back into the pan, and pour in the boiling water. Bring back to a simmer and remove any scum that forms on the surface with a ladle or spoon. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for 35 minutes.
• Place a sieve in a colander placed over a large saucepan. Ladle the stock into the sieve, then gently pour in any remaining liquid from the pan - taking care not to tip the fish or vegetables into the sieve. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• For the soup, place the potatoes into the fish stock. Bring to the boil and cook for 6-8 minutes, or until the potatoes are nearly cooked.
• Cut the fish fillets into 5cm/2in pieces. Discard any mussels that are open or that don't close when tapped, or have broken shells.
• Add the prawns, mussels and white fish to the saucepan and simmer for 2-3 minutes, or until the fish is cooked through and the mussels have opened. Discard any mussels that have not opened during cooking. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• To serve, ladle the fish soup into soup bowls, scatter with parsley, drizzle with olive oil and serve immediately.