The first time I came across this soup was when I was working at Tersiguel's. As soon as I tasted the broth and the fish, with the crostini and rouille, I fell in love with it. It is exceptionally light, and the saffron gives the broth a nice bright floral flavor. It is a classic French soup from Marsielle that utilizes various types of seafood that are on hand, especially those that weren't as easy for the fishermen to sell. The seafood you use can vary depending on what you have on hand or what's available at the market, though you normally want a firmer fish, as well as some other shellfish to enhance the flavor. It is also a beautiful way to get rid of seafood in a restaurant setting, that are under portions, or don't look like a decent cuts for an entree.
A couple of notes about this soup. Primarily this is a meal, it has an abundance of vegetables, lots of seafood, and it's served with flavored bread that enhance the dish. The mainstay of this dish is the broth. When you season and fortify your stock (I used chicken though seafood stock is preferred), you are creating the flavor profile that will carry all the items in the meal. Though the bread can be put in as croutons, and the rouille can be added to thicken it, in the presentation that I first used it had the rouille on crostinis and it was served on top as a garnish.
If you haven't had much experience with saffron, it is strong, and it is expensive. A little will go a long way. When in doubt add less, because you can always add more later, as opposed to removing it. Another item to note is that if you are using fish that you clean and have scrap, or shrimp shells, or scallop tendons, you can use these to enhance the broth, as it is the mainstay of the dish. When I made this I included some ramps that I had on hand, though they are not in the recipe.
Ingredients
Seafood Stock (Or chicken) 2 qt
Saffron 1 T
Aleppo Pepper (or crushed red) 2 tsp
Bay Leaves 3 ea
White wine 3 cups
Garlic Cloves, whole 4 ea
Lemon, zest and juice 1-2 depending on size
Vanilla splash (to taste)
Parley, picked, stems reserved 1/2 bunch
Smoked Paprika 1 tsp
Fennel, julienned 1 ea
Carrots, sliced 3 ea
Celery, sliced 1/2 bunch
Onion, julienned 1 ea
Potatoes, sliced 2 ea
Peppers, sliced 8 ea
Shrimp, peeled shells reserved 10 ea
Scallops, tendons reserved 10 ea
Fish (variety), cut into small bits 2-3 ea
Salt and pepper to taste
Oil to cook
Garnish
Parsley leaves, crostini with rouille
Method of Procedure
Peel and reserve shrimp shells. Clean scallops and reserve tendons. Clean the fish you have, portion it into smaller pieces, and reserve scrap.
Bring stock, white wine, saffron, bay leaves, Aleppo pepper, garlic cloves, parsley stems, and seafood scrap to a light boil and reduce to a simmer. Let it simmer for around 1 hour and taste. Re-season accordingly to your tastes.
While the broth is being made prep your vegetables. I like to slice everything about 1 inch thick, and on a bias. Keep the carrots, fennel, onion, and celery together, the peppers, and the potatoes separate (hold the potatoes in water so they don't oxidize until you are ready to use them).
After broth is seasoned to your taste, strain and return to heat. Discard the material strained out.
Bring the broth to a boil and put in the potato slices then reduce heat. Blanch on a slow simmer until softened but not completely cooked (around 10 minutes at a simmer) then remove from the broth (you can strain it into another pot, or use a skimmer).
Bring the broth back to a boil and blanch the all the remaining vegetables (2-4 minutes) except the peppers. Remove vegetables from the broth and lay out on a sheet tray. Combine potatoes and place into the refrigerator to chill.
Saute your peppers on high heat, to get some blistering. Add to reserved chilling vegetables.*
Get a saute pan hot, and place a small amount of oil in the pan. Lightly season your seafood and place scallops and shrimp in pan**. Cook on high heat to get some color. Remove from the pan and repeat the process with your fish.
To serve take sauteed fish and add a mixed portion of the vegetables you have cooked off. Bring to heat and ladle some of your broth into it. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and add your scallops and shrimp. Simmer for 2 minutes and place in a bowl. Garnish with parsley, crostinis with rouille and enjoy.
*From this point your soup is done, you just need to cook the seafood, combine, and garnish. If you are making this for a small group, just use the seafood for the portions you want. If you are making for a large group, saute all of it.
**When you cook scallops and shrimp, they do not take long. By staging them this way you help them not overcook and become rubbery.
Comments