Soupe de Poissons de Roches
Literally, rock fish soup. This soup is made out of the trash fish caught among the rocks. We bought a couple of kilograms at the market, where it was labeled “Soupe de Roches.” Included were lots of small fish and a few crabs, an octopus or two, etc. Just a bunch of junk fish. I was highly suspicious of this as we made it and I had to force myself to taste it. It was transcendent. It tasted like the finest lobster bisque or something just as fancy. I've made it at home a few times and I just go to a local Asian market and buy a variety of small cheap fish with a couple of little crabs and an octopus if available. Beware that the directions seem crazy, such as cooking the whole, uncleaned fish, but it all works in the end. Really. If you like seafood, you'll adore this.
{(rater>id=100|name=recipes:soupe_d_poissons_de_roches|type=rate|headline=off)}
| Preheat: ° | Yield: 4-5 servings | |
| Prep: 1:00 | Wait: 0:00 | Cook: 0:45 |
Ingredients
Soup
- 2.5 lbs or small, cheap fish (a mixture of small saltwater fish, along with a small crab, octopus, shrimp, crayfish, etc for additional flavor, if available.)
- 5 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 2 Onions, sliced
- 2 Tomatoes, chopped
- 2 cloves Garlic, crushed and minced (or pressed)
- 1 branch Dill
- 1 branch Thyme
- 3 Bay Leaves
- pinch Cayenne
- pinch Saffron (for color)
Croutons
- 1 Baguette, sliced thinly
- Garlic cloves, cut in half
- Emmental (Swiss or Jarlsburg) Cheese
- 2 cloves Garlic, pressed
- pinch Salt
- 1 Egg Yolk, very fresh
- 1 tsp Dijon Mustard
- Olive Oil
- 1/2 tsp Cayenne
- 1/2 tsp Paprika
Directions
Soup
- In a large dutch oven, simmer the onion in the olive oil until translucent. Add the fish (head, scales, fins and all) and cook 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add the tomatoes, garlic, dill, thyme, bay leaves, saffron, salt and pepper. Mash all with potato masher, add 2 quarts + 1 cup of water and cook over high heat for 35 minutes.
- Pass the entire mixture through a food mill, or put it through a blender and strain through a fine mesh strainer.
- Place the soup back on medium heat for 10 minutes.
- Mince and mash garlic to a paste with a pinch of salt using a large heavy knife.
- Whisk together yolk and mustard in a bowl. Add olive oil, a few drops at a time, to yolk mixture, whisking constantly, until all oil is incorporated and mixture is emulsified. (If mixture separates, stop adding oil and continue whisking until mixture comes together, then resume adding oil.)
- Whisk in garlic paste, cayenne and paprika. If aïoli is too thick, whisk in 1 or 2 drops of water.
- Chill, covered, until ready to use.
Croutons
- Brush both sides of bread slices with olive oil and lightly in the oven.
Serve
- Prepare bowls of toasted croutons, garlic clove halves and shredded emmental cheese.
- Each person can rub the toasted surfaces of the croutons with the garlic, top with cheese and ladle the soup over.
Notes
- Be careful when blending hot soup! Leave the lid cracked a bit and cover with a kitchen towel. Don't overfill - process small batches.
- The included picture makes the soup look pretty yellow, but as I recall, the soup is a nice cream color.
