A bit of a twist on the Marseilles classic. Just a little less fishy.
for the soup
3 different fish (800g-1kg each)
1kg whole prawns
1kg mussels (in shell)
1kg clams (in shell)
1 fennel bulb (sliced)
2 onions (quartered)
4 sticks of celery (leaves removed)
3 carrots (peeled, quartered)
1 leek (roughly cut, green tops too)
4 large tomatoes (quartered)
3 strips of orange peel (all pith removed)
3 strips of lemon peel (all pith removed)
20 cherry tomatoes (halved)
1 bunch of thyme
20 whole peppercorns
6 bay leaves
1 bunch parsley
1 bottle white wine (I use Sav)
A good pinch of saffron threads
Pernod
Juice of 1 lemon and 1 orange
To begin with we need to make stock. Fillet and skin the fish, dice the fillets and reserve in the fridge for later. Remove guts, gills, tail and large fins. Place the cleaned frames in a large pot or stock pot. De-shell the prawns, add shells and bodies to the pot and reserve the tail meat in the fridge. Add fennel, onions, celery, leek, carrots, large tomatoes, thyme, peppercorns, parsley stalks, orange and lemon peels and wine to the pot. Add 2.5 litres of water or enough to cover. Bring the pot to the boil on high, as soon as it boils turn down to low, skim off any scum that has gathered on the surface and simmer gently for 20 mins, no longer or your stock will start to turn bitter. After 20 mins strain off the liquid and throw out what’s left in the pot. You should be left with about 3 litres of delicious fish stock. Now in a clean pot you can simmer the stock to reduce it and concentrate the flavour. While it is simmering you can blanch the clams and the mussels (separately) until they just open. Remove the meat and keep in the fridge. Discard the shells. Now your stock should be developing a much deeper flavour as it reduces with the shellfish juice. Add the saffron and continue to reduce until you have 2/3 or what you started with. Now add the fish, prawns and the shellfish and cook for a further 2 – 3 mins until just cooked. Add lemon and orange juice, parsley and a good splash of pernod. Season with salt and pepper and stir very gently. Serve with aioli and some grilled crusty bread.
for the aioli
250ml canola or sunflower oil
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
3 cloves garlic (peeled)
1 egg (or 2 yolks if you want a richer sauce)
1 red pepper
juice of half a lemon
salt + white pepper
First, we need to roast the pepper. Lightly oil the skin and place under a very hot grill or over an open gas flame. Roast until well black and blistered all over. Place in a container, cover with cling film and rest for 20 mins. Remove the blackened skin and seeds from the pepper. Now, in a food processor or blender blitz together the mustard, vinegar, garlic, egg, and roast pepper. Slowly add the oil while still blitzing until you have a thick, mayonnaise like emulsion. Now add lemon juice and salt + pepper to taste. Refrigerate until ready to use.