I bought a bag of fennel that was reduced, an impulse buy as I had been planning to cook a cauliflower and potato curry. I’d remembered that I had a large piece of poached salmon in the freezer, and I made this delicious stew.
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 4 shallots, finely chopped (or use an onion)
- 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
- 3 small fennel bulbs, finely chopped
- 1 can chopped tomatoes
- 3 tbsp pureed red peppers
- salt and pepper
- a dash of hot chilli sauce
- a pinch of saffron
- 1.3 litres of fish stock
- around 400g fish, off the bone (could be salmon, could be any fish, including shellfish)
- a piece of orange peel
- Grated cheese, to serve (optional)
METHOD:
- Heat the oil in a large pan, and gently fry the onion. After a few minutes add the garlic, and then the fennel, and cook together for around five minutes.
- Add the tomatoes, orange peel, a good pinch of salt, and freshly ground black pepper, 3 tbsp red pepper puree, and a splash of chilli sauce. Simmer for five minutes
- Add the stock, then bring the soup to a simmer, reducing slightly. Meanwhile, steep the saffron in a little hot water.
- Once the soup looks to be a good consistency, slip in the fish and the saffron, and bring back to a simmer.
- When the fish is just cooked, and hot through, give the soup a good stir to mix everything up. If you can, retrieve the orange peel from the soup.
- Serve in large bowls with grated cheese on top. We tried it with cheddar, parmesan, it was good with gruyere as well.