Well, here is the fish soup recipe and there will be more about fish on her Substack article next week. So many kids grow up without loving fish and mama is going to take that on….
Et here is our tickle for today. LOVE this artist and love his kitty!
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BOURRIDE
Of all the fish soups I make, I love this one best, because it’s simple, quick, and you can use any fish you like, even though the classic dish is made with lotte (monkfish). I use cabillaud,(cod), lotte, (monkfish), dorade (sea bream), all filets so that there are no surprise bones.
As I finally write this down today (I am using cod and monkfish) after having made so many, I am using a fish stock that always begin with shrimp heads left over from cold boiled shrimp, served with remoulade, and tiny green crabs, only the females (!) that make the famous dish of the Pyrenees, soupe de poisson, so pungent and rich. But that was then—the little crabs have disappeared and are not available any longer, sigh…
You may use any fish stock you have on hand, see below for Easy Fish Stock, and this time, I added a thin slice of tangerine skin to the bourride. I suppose you could call this Bouillairide! Bouillaibaisse and bourride in a perfect marriage.
Bourride is filling. A nice green salad and good crusty bread are all you need to serve with it. But I give in and serve rouille along with it, just because I can, and because rouille is great with any fish soup!
And as with many dishes, this is best the next day!
Bourride (or call this fish stew anything you wish)
1/2 cup olive oil
2 sweet onions, chopped fine
6 garlic cloves, minced.
2 pounds of monk fish, or any filet of fish, cut into small serving pieces
A splash of Cognac
4 potatoes peeled and sliced thin or in small dice
4 fresh tomatoes, crushed
1 1/2 cups dry white wine
4-6 cups of rich fish stock, or a little chicken broth if you need it
One big pinch of saffron
One or two sprigs of flat-leaf parsley, chopped fine
The juice of a lemon and a little grated peel
A sliver of orange or tangerine skin
A sprig of fresh thyme
Salt and fresh pepper to taste
A pinch of cayenne or one very tiny hot pepper
A bunch of coriander, chopped fine
In a large soup pot, heat the olive oil, add the onions and garlic and cook for a few minutes. Add the chunks of fish and turn them over in the oil until coated and “sealed”, then stand back and add the Cognac. Blow out the flame if there is one and add the white wine and the rest of the ingredients, except the fresh coriander. Simmer on low heat until the smell makes you want to dive in, about 40 minutes.
Serve in soup bowls and sprinkle with the coriander.
Alternative: Serve with a slice of toasted French bread spread with rouille.
Rouille – to be made ONLY on a dry, warm day or the egg will not emulse with the oil.
In the bowl of a hand mixer, place an egg, a little salt, and a cup of olive oil. Turn on the wand and you should have a mayonnaise in a few seconds. Add a few slices of roasted red pepper, a squeeze of garlic, and a pinch of saffron. Whiz again and you have the “mayonnaise” called rouille.
Easy Fish Broth
The fun part of this broth is to buy a couple of pounds of shrimp to steam and eat cold with red sauce or mayonnaise remoulade. Then put the heads in a large pot with a chopped sweet onion, a cup of white wine and a little salt and simmer for 20 minutes. Press the heads down into the broth to remove all of the wonderful juices in the heads, then strain, throw out the heads and return the broth to the pot. Add a chopped onion and a pound of fish trimmings or a pound of any inexpensive white fish you can find. Add a cup of white wine and simmer for 30 minutes. Strain and keep for fish soups or fish dishes that require broth. My broths all freeze well.
