Fish Soup Recipe

Prepare bones and vegetables

Rinse fish bones and heads under cold running water to remove blood. Pat dry. Roughly chop the onion, carrot and celery into large pieces. Smash the peppercorns lightly.

Sweat aromatics

Heat 1 tbs olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add chopped onion, carrot and celery and cook 4–5 minutes until softened but not browned.

Build the stock

Add the fish bones and heads to the pot and stir for 1–2 minutes. Pour in 2 liters (2000 ml) water and 1 bay leaf and the smashed peppercorns. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium-high heat, then lower heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Skim any foam from the surface with a ladle during the first 10 minutes.

Simmer

Simmer gently, partially covered, for 25–30 minutes. Avoid a rolling boil — that makes the stock cloudy and bitter. After simmering, strain the stock through a fine-mesh sieve or cheesecloth into a clean pot or bowl. Discard solids. Taste and season with 1.5 tsp salt, adjusting as needed.

Finely mince the shallot and garlic. Peel and dice the ripe tomato; reserve the juices. Thinly slice the fennel. Chop the parsley and dill and set aside for garnish.

In a separate medium saucepan or the clean pot used for the strained stock, heat 1 tbs extra-virgin olive oil over medium heat. Add minced shallot and cook 2–3 minutes until translucent. Add minced garlic and cook 30 seconds until fragrant. Add sliced fennel and cook 3–4 minutes until softened.

Pour in 100 ml white wine and simmer 1–2 minutes to reduce slightly. Add diced tomato and any juices, stir and cook 2 minutes to marry flavors.

Add the strained fish stock to this aromatics mixture and bring to a gentle simmer.

Prepare the fish: pat turbot, bream and grouper fillets dry and cut into 2–3 cm cubes. Dice the salmon into similar-sized pieces. Trim and clean squid, cut into rings.

Season the fish pieces and squid lightly with 1 tsp sea salt and 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper; toss gently to coat.

When the broth is simmering, add the firm white fish first (turbot, bream, grouper). Simmer gently 3–4 minutes; these fillets are thicker and take slightly longer. Add the squid and continue simmering 1–2 minutes.

Finally add the salmon pieces and simmer another 1–2 minutes until salmon is just opaque and squid is tender. Avoid overcooking — total cooking time for seafood in the simmering broth should be 6–8 minutes.

Taste the soup and adjust seasoning with additional sea salt if needed and a pinch of red pepper flakes if you want heat.

Turn off the heat and stir in chopped parsley, dill and a squeeze of lemon juice from half a lemon. Reserve lemon wedges for the table.

Ladle the soup into bowls, distributing fish and squid evenly. Garnish with chopped chives and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil. Serve immediately with lemon wedges and crusty bread.