Fish Soup with Fennel
Submitted by sekhmet
Creamy fish soup with fennel, hake and flounder, simmered in homemade fish stock with leek, carrot, and lovage. A two-fish European-style chowder finished with sour cream and chopped fennel fronds.
YIELD
6 servingsPREP
30 minCOOK
90 minREADY
2 hrsFish soup with fennel is a quiet, refined European fisherman’s soup, the kind served in a coastal taverna with crusty bread and white wine. Two fish, hake and flounder, get added to the pot at different stages so each one stays at the right texture: the firmer hake first, the delicate flounder fillets last.
The homemade fish stock is what makes this soup. Cold water, fish bones, bay leaf, parsley, lovage, and peppercorns simmered for half an hour pulls every ounce of flavor from the bones. Stock from a tin won’t get you here. If your fishmonger doesn’t carry bones, ask, most will save them for you.
Lovage is the unusual herb most North American kitchens skip. It tastes like celery and parsley had a kid with stronger opinions. If you can’t find it, double up on parsley and add a celery stalk to the stock.
Fresh fennel fronds at the end are the bright finish. Stirred in off-heat with a 3-minute rest under a lid, they perfume the soup without losing their aroma to long cooking.
The sour cream is folded in just before serving. It thickens the body and adds a soft tang against the briny fish.
Chef Tips
- Strain the stock through a fine sieve, twice if necessary, to remove any tiny bones.
- Skim the foam off the top of simmering stock for a clearer, cleaner-tasting broth.
- Use a delicate hand pureeing the soup. A high-powered blender for too long can release starches that turn the soup gluey.
- Don’t skip the resting step at the end. It lets the fennel aroma bloom through the bowl.
Variations
- Swap hake for cod or pollock, both work in a pinch.
- Add ½ cup white wine to the stock for a brighter, more aromatic broth.
- Float a tablespoon of creme fraiche on top instead of stirring in sour cream for a more elegant presentation.
Ingredients
Directions
Put the fish bones in a pan with the bay leaf, parsley, and lovage.
Cover with cold water, add salt and peppercorns, and bring to boil.
Simmer for 30 minutes.
Peel and chop the onion and carrot.
Trim and chop the leek.
Put them in a saucepan.
Pour the fish stock over the vegetables through a seive (strainer).
Bring to a boil, then let simmer for another 30 minutes, then put in the hake.
Simmer for 15 minutes, or until the hake is cooked.
Remove the hake and put the flounder filets into the pan.
Simmer for 5 minutes, then remove them.
Cool the soup slightly, then purée it in a blender.
Melt the butter in a clean pan, stir in the flour and cook for one minute.
Stir in the blended soup and simmer for 3 minutes, stirring.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Take the hake off the bone and chop it; skin the flounder filets and chop them.
Put both sorts of fish into the soup and stir in the sour cream.
When all is hot, add the chopped fennel and stand, covered, for 3 to 4 minutes before serving.
Serve as is, or with fennel dumplings.
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