Mullet and Fennel Soup
Ingredients
- 25ml/1½ tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 2 fennel bulbs, thinly sliced
- 4 tomatoes, chopped
- 1 bay leaf
- sprig of fresh thyme
- 1.2 litres/2 pints/5 cups fish stock
- 675g/1½ lb red mullet or snapper, scaled and filleted
- salt and ground black pepper
- 8 slices baguette, toasted
- 1 garlic clove
- 30ml/2 tbsp tomato purée (paste)
- 12 black olives, stoned (pitted) and quartered
- fresh fennel fronds, to garnish
- 2 egg yolks
- 1–2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 10ml/2 tsp lemon juice
- 300ml/½ pint/1¼ cups extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy pan. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 5 minutes, until softened. Add the fennel and cook for 2–3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, bay leaf, thyme and stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the aioli in a large bowl. Whisk the egg yolks, garlic, lemon juice and seasoning together. Slowly whisk in the oil, drop by drop at first. As it thickens, add the oil in a slow stream. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
- Cut each mullet fillet into 2–3 pieces, then add to the soup and cook gently for 5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the fish and set aside.
- Strain the cooking liquid, pressing the vegetables well. Whisk a ladle of soup into the aioli, then whisk this mixture back into the soup. Return to a clean pan and cook gently, whisking continuously, until slightly thickened. Add the mullet back to the soup.
- Rub the toasted baguette with garlic, spread with tomato purée and top with olives. Serve the soup topped with the toasts and garnish with fennel.
Notes
When making the aioli, ensure your egg yolks are at room temperature and add the oil very slowly to prevent it from splitting.