91Èȱ¬

by Rick Stein from Rick Stein Fish & Shellfish (91Èȱ¬ Books)
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Although I’ve called this a soup, it’s more like fish with sauce, albeit lots of it. The soup can be made with commercial harissa, but add saffron in that case.

Alternative fish:Ìý any kind of medium-oily fish, such as red mullet, sea bass, snapper.

Serves 4

Prep time 30 mins
Cooking time 45 mins
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Ingredients
1kg whole grey mullet
90ml olive oil
1 medium onion, sliced
1 carrot, sliced
1 stick celery, sliced
1/2 garlic bulb, sliced but not peeled
1 1/2 tbsp Harissa (Rick recommends du Cap-Bon)
400g chopped tomatoes, fresh or canned
2 tbsp tomato purée
A pinch of saffron threads
Piece of orange peel
1 tsp salt
1.5L water
300g pink fir apple potatoes, or other small waxy potatoes, peeled & sliced lengthways
10 spring onions, sliced on the diagonal
A small handful of parsley, finely chopped
1 quantity Aïoli (see recipe below)
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Method
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Scale, gut & fillet the fish (or ask your fishmonger, making sure you keep the head & bones for the stock).Ìý Cut the fillet into 2cm-wide slices.
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Use the head & bones to make a stock: heat half the olive oil in a pan. Add the onion, carrot, celery & garlic & all the fish trimmings. Fry for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the harissa, the tomatoes, tomato purée, saffron, orange peel, salt & water.
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Bring to the boil & simmer for half an hour. Pass through a fine strainer, pressing through as much of the stock using the back of a ladle as possible. Discard the solids. Return the stock to the heat & reduce by half.
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Boil the potatoes in salted water until tender. Heat a frying pan with the remaining olive oil & cook the fillets skin-side down over a moderate heat for 6–7 mins.
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Put the mullet, potatoes & spring onions into 4 warmed, wide soup bowls, sprinkle on the parsley, pour the soup gently on top & add a dollop of aïoli.

For the Aïoli
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Makes 175ml
4 garlic cloves, peeled
1/2 tsp salt
1 medium egg yolk
2 tsp lemon juice
175ml extra virgin olive oil
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Mash or grate the garlic into a bowl.Ìý Add the salt, egg yolk & lemon juice.Ìý Combine using a whisk or an electric hand-held mixer, then very gradually whisk in the olive oil to make a thick mayonnaise-like mixture.