Fish Soup

Ingredients
1 Fish Heads (cod)
1 cooked Crawfish
2 pints Mussels or Cockles
1 pint Prawns
1 Pimento
1 1/2 lb Tomatoes
1 Lemon
A few Celery Leaves
1 Carrot
2 Onions
6 cloves Garlic
3 tablespoons Rice
Coarse Salt
Ground Black Pepper
Thyme
Marjoram
Basil
Fennel
Parsley
A piece of Orange Peel
1/2 pint White Wine
4 pint Water
Saffron
Parsley

Method

Make a fish stock using the fish head and the crustacean shells lightly fried or roasted and crushed. Add the vegetables (except for the tomatoes), the citrus peel, thyme, majoram, wine and water. Boil gently for about an hour. Strain. Bring back to the boil and add the rice simmer until the rice is cooked (about 15 minutes).

While this is happening chop and peel the tomatoes. Cook gently in olive oil with the capsicum and a garlic clove until reduced to a puree.

Clean the mussels and/or pippies and toss them into a very hot saucepan with a little olive oil until they open. Remove from shells, strain and reserve the liquor.

To the stock and rice add the pureed tomato mixture and the yabbies, diced, the whole prawns and the liquor from the shellfish. Cook for five minutes until the soup is thick and creamy.

When ready to serve stir in a generous amount of fresh parsley, basil or fennel, the shellfish, zest of two lemons and a clove of garlic, crushed. Simmer for another minute or so then serve.

Remarks

The herbs and lemon zest give this a soup its fresh flavour.

Appeared on menu: Mediterranean Fish Soup $1.80 (with saffron, tomato, white wine and topped with Skordalia: garlic, almonds, eggs, lemon and parsley).