ITALIAN FISH SOUP RECIPES

Steps:

• 1. Grating the butternut squash into the soup is a little trick I saw in Sicily. It gives it good colour and sweetness.
  2. Finely chop the onion, celery, fennel, garlic and chilli. Heat the oil in a large pan, add the onion, celery, fennel, garlic and chilli and sweat gently until soft. Add the wine, tomatoes or passata, squash and stock and bring to the boil. Cover and simmer gently for 30 minutes. Season and gently break up the tomatoes.
  3. Roughly chop the salmon and halibut and add to the pan. Add the prawns or langoustine tails, cover and simmer for 10 minutes or until just cooked.
  4. Taste the soup and season it again with salt and pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice, if necessary.
  5. Serve drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with the chopped parsley.

Steps:

• 1. Trim and finely chop the fennel, leek, celery and chilli, and peel and finely chop the garlic. Roughly chop the tomatoes, pick the thyme leaves and chop the fish into chunks.
  2. Gently cook the fennel, leek, celery, most of the chilli and the garlic in olive oil over a medium heat, until soft.
  3. Add 1 litre water and the wine, bring to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are cooked.
  4. Add the tomatoes, thyme and fish. When fish turns opaque, add the prawns, mussels or clams and simmer for 2 minutes until prawns are cooked and mussels are open.
  5. Season and serve with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a scattering of fresh chilli.