Bowl of Fish Soup Romesco
(click to enlarge)

Fish Soup Romesco


Spain - Catalonia   -   Romesco de Peix

Makes:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  
8 cups
***
1-1/4 hr
Part
This soup / stew, popular in Catalonia, is deliciously flavored by Romesco Sauce. It can be used as a soup course or as a main dish soup.




4
2
6
3
3
1
1
2
2
2
1/3
1/3
1/2
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ar

c
#
oz
oz
oz
#
T
T
T
T
c
c
T
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Fish Stock (1)
Fish Fillet (2)
Shrimp (3)
Mussel Meat (4)
Clam Meat (4)
Potatoes (5)  
Parsley Flat
Lemon Juice
Flour, all purp.
Olive Oil
Romesco Sauce (6)  
Wine, white
Salt
-- Serve With
Crusty Bread

Do-Ahead   -   I usually do these steps 1 or more days ahead, freezing the fillets and storing the stock as noted in the link given below.
  1. If not on hand, make Romesco Sauce.
  2. Scale, clean and filet your FISH. If you are new to this see our Cleaning & Fileting Round Bodied Fish page.
  3. Make the FISH STOCK with the bones, fins, and heads. Include any Shrimp Shells you may have. Strain and degrease. See Making Fish Stock for complete instructions.
Prep   -   (25 min)
  1. Cut FISH FILETS into bite size pieces.
  2. Peel POTATOES and slice 1/2 inch thick. Cut slices into about 3/4 inch pieces. Hold in cold water until needed.
  3. Thaw SHRIMP. If quite large cut in half crosswise .
  4. Thaw MUSSEL and CLAM meats. Mix.
  5. Chop PARSLEY small. Measure is after chopping, medium packed.
Run   -   (50 min)
  1. in a pot (4 quart) heat Olive Oil over moderate flame. Stir in Flour and fry stirring until it just starts to color.
  2. Stir in Romesco Sauce and fry stirring for about 1 minute, then stir in the Wine. Bring to a boil.
  3. Stir in Fish Stock, Potatoes, and Salt. Bring back to a boil and simmer until the Potatoes are tender. Red will take less time than White.
  4. IF Making Ahead , this is where to stop. When serving time is near, bring back to a boil and continue. Finishing is very quick.
  5. Stir Fish Pieces into the stock for 1 minute. Stir in Shellfish mix and take off the heat. Let sit for 10 to 15 minutes.
  6. Stir in Lemon Juice and Parsley. Serve.
  7. IF serving on the Buffet, pour into a slow cooker set to "keep warm". If any must be reheated, bring up to only 170°F/77°C.
NOTES:
  1. Fish Stock:

      It is always best to buy your fish whole (the only way you can be sure you're getting the kind of fish you're paying for), and the heads, fins, bones, and sometimes skins can be used to make excellent fish stock. You can have the fish man scale and clean the fish (done free in all the Asian markets here in Southern California). For details see our recipe Making Fish Stock.
  2. Fish:

      Weight is for fillets ready to add to the soup. The pattern recipe calls for a mix of Monkfish and other firm fish that are not common here in Southern California. I find a single fish just fine, but the fish you choose should be ones that hold up well in wet cooking. The photo example was made with Japanese Amberjack, which holds up very well and can be cooked skin-on, as many recipes call for. For guests I'd likely use Golden Pompano which is very good and a bit milder. It's common around here, very good, and can also be cooked skin on. It also makes excellent fish stock. For details see our Varieties of Fish page (very large page).
  3. Shrimp:

      [GB "Prawns"]   If quite large, cut in half crosswise. You can use them whole and shell-on for fancy, or even head-on. If you shell and vein them, toss the shells (and heads) in with your fish scraps when making the Fish Stock.
  4. Mussel & Clam Meat:

      Every photo you will see of this soup / stew will have mussels and/or clams in the shell. This is decorative and fine for a fancy dinner or restaurant dish, but not suitable for buffet service - and an expensive hassle for home cooking.
  5. Potatoes:

      White Rose type or Red Potatoes can be used (be aware that the Red cook much faster).For details see our Potatoes page.
  6. Romesco Sauce:

      This is a very tasty dip for vegetables, seafoods, pork, etc. but here we use it as a recipe ingredient. We have a full recipe (Romesco Sauce) and a quick recipe (Xató / Romesco).
  7. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove, in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
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