Fish soup

Fish soup is a tasty dish that is made with fresh fish, a must in the culinary tradition of the Italian maritime regions. Every town overlooking the sea, in fact, preserves its own recipe; just think of the famous brodetto fanese or the typical clam soup but also of the simple fish in stew. What makes this soup special is the fish stock: a broth with an intense taste made with the waste from cleaning all the fish present in the preparation, which will release all their aromas during cooking. Accompany the soup with slices of homemade bread, you will thus give a rustic and genuine touch to this delicious first course. Although a bit laborious, fish soup is worth preparing: its flavors and aromas will transport you to the seashore for a day. INGREDIENTS Prawns (to be cleaned) 6 Cuttlefish (cleaned) 400 g Gurnard (to be cleaned) 550 g Monkfish (to be cleaned) 500 g Red mullet (to be cleaned) 550 g Extra virgin olive oil to taste Garlic 2 Cloves Parsley to taste White wine 50 g Salt to taste Black pepper to taste Tomato puree 500 g Celery 1 coast Carrots 1 White onions 1 Water 1.5 l White peppercorns Parsley to taste Mussels 1 Kg Extra virgin olive oil to taste Garlic 1 segment Preparation To make the fish soup, start by cleaning the gurnards: after gutting and rinsing them, cut the back at the height of the central bone and divide them into two fillets, then remove the smaller bones with the special kitchen tongs, keep the fillet lying on the cut and rub it with your fingertips to identify the bones. Keep the scraps that will be used for the broth. Now take care of the mullets: after gutting and rinsing them, remove the head and tail, cut the spine and cut two fillets by removing the central bone. You can also proceed by making an incision at the base of the mullet head, then slide the blade from the head to the tail to obtain the first fillet. Remove the bones with pliers here too. Keep the scraps. Now clean the monkfish as well: gut it, remove the tail and fins, remove the skin and cut with a knife along the entire back, next to the central bone, cut the fillet, cut it into slices. Always keep scraps aside. Clean the shrimp: remove the head and tail, remove the carapace and extract the dark filament on the back, with the help of a toothpick. Now wash the vegetables for the fish broth and cut them into chunks. Pour the vegetables into a pan, parsley, fish cleaning waste and peppercorns, you can choose whether to use black or white peppercorns. Cover with water, turn on the heat and cook for two hours from the boil. During cooking, remove the foam that will form on the surface with a slotted spoon. Meanwhile, clean the mussels: make sure they are all closed, broken or open ones should be discarded. Remove any dog teeth on the shell with a small knife, remove the beard and, finally, scrape off the impurities with a clean scourer. Now rinse them thoroughly. In a saucepan, heat a drizzle of oil with a clove of pinafore garlic. Pour the mussels and cover with the lid. Cook for 3-4 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally. The mussels must all be open. Drain them through a sieve to collect their cooking water. Then shell them, taking care to keep aside some mussels with the shell for the garnish of the dishes. Now cut the cuttlefish into strips. In a large saucepan, heat a drizzle of oil with two pinafore cloves of garlic, pour in the cuttlefish and brown them over high heat for 3-4 minutes. Deglaze with white wine and let it evaporate. Pour in the tomato puree and the cooking water of the mussels. Cover with the lid and cook for 25 minutes. Meanwhile, the fish broth will be ready, filter it through a sieve and keep it aside. Remove the garlic cloves from the soup, add the monkfish slices and 800 g of the fish broth you have prepared. Cook over low heat for 10 minutes. At this point, add the gurnal fillets and red mullet, continue cooking for another 5 minutes, rotating the pan so as not to flake the fish. To finish, pour in the prawns. and shelled mussels. Season with salt and pepper only now, let it flavor for another minute, then turn off the heat, add the mussels in their shells, chopped parsley and serve the fish soup hot. Preservation The fish soup can be kept in the refrigerator for a couple of days. You can freeze it if you have used fresh ingredients.