Presenting a simple yet delightful seafood-infused soup recipe, this dish serves as an excellent choice for a flavorful and light first course, perfectly complementing heartier mains like rice, stew, or pot dishes.
This fish recipe is ideal for creating a special dinner experience with your loved ones, be it for celebratory occasions or simply for the pleasure of savoring a rich and delicious meal. While it may involve a bit of effort, the process is surprisingly straightforward. The beauty lies in its modest ingredient list – a touch of monkfish, goat, and a handful of prawns are all you need. However, feel free to explore various adaptations, such as incorporating rice into the seafood soup, which has garnered considerable acclaim on the blog.
A crucial element in crafting a delectable soup is the preparation of a flavorsome fish stock. Opting for a “rock” fish is key, as it contributes both depth of flavor and substance to the broth. These fish inhabit shallow rocky areas, feeding on small crustaceans, mollusks, and other fish.
A popular choice for such preparations is the scorpionfish, known for its medium size, red hue, and delectable meat – a star in recipes like scorpionfish pie. Since the scorpionfish season kicks off in April, we’ve procured a closely related fish known as “goat,” “cabrita,” or “cabrilla.” This alternative promises all the captivating flavors of the sea in this delightful recipe. Whether you’re seeking a special dish for Christmas or other significant occasions, this first course is sure to please your palate.
Ingredients:
- 1 goat (rock fish) – about 600 g. approximately
- 1 medium monkfish tail
- Fresh prawns, approximately 400 grams (medium size)
- 300g. of clams
- 1 medium potato special for cooking
- 1 medium carrot
- 50 ml. extra virgin olive oil
- 2 g. freshly ground black pepper (to each household’s taste)
- 6g. of fine salt (or to the taste of each house)
- A few sprigs of fresh parsley to decorate
- An optional spicy touch (a chili pepper, a little chili, spicy La Vera paprika, Tabasco sauce…)
- water for soup
Fish and seafood soup recipe
Before cooking the soup. The clams
- Like all mollusks, clams must go through a shipping center or a treatment plant before being put on the market for consumption. Even so, we have to thoroughly remove the sand that they usually bring so that it is not annoying and does not spoil the recipe.
- It is best to keep them for about three hours before cooking them in a saucepan or large plastic container. We must add water, a good handful of coarse salt and change the water three or four times.
- Clams drink and usually release a lot of sand. Don’t be scared because it is a sign that they are of good quality. They will open and take out “the siphon” to drink, if we touch them they will close quickly.
- To steam them, wash the clams very well in cold water and remove all impurities. We heat half a glass of water in the saucepan. When the water starts to boil, add the clams.
- We leave them cooking covered for a minute (no more) and as soon as they are all open we remove them with a slotted spoon. We let it cool and reserve for the end of the soup. We are not going to throw away the cooking water. We strain them and leave them in a glass as we will use them in this fish and seafood soup.
Preparation of seafood for the fumet of our soup
- We begin by separating the tails of the prawns from the rest of the shell. We carry out this process on the saucepan where we will later sauté them so that the juices that are released remain inside it.
- In that saucepan we add a sheet of extra virgin olive oil and over high heat. We are cooking the heads and carcasses of the tails of the prawns. They will release their sea-flavored juices. They will gradually turn red like when they are grilled.
- When they are an intense red, we remove them and strain all the resulting liquid into the saucepan where we are going to prepare the fumet.
- Alternatively, pour a glass of hot water over the prawn carcasses or heads and blend them with the blender. With this we achieve a more substantial broth and also a more reddish color. The “caprilla” will come already gutted from the fishmonger (but always with its head).
- We separate the two loins, review to remove the bones and cut into cubes. We remove any skin from the monkfish tail. We separate the meat from the central spine and cut it into cubes of the same size.
Preparation of fumet or fish broth
- To the casserole (for the fumet) we add the head and central bones of the fish. We add about 2 liters of water and bring to a boil. When we see the first bubbles, lower the heat to low.
- Salt to taste and cook for 40 minutes. We are not going to spend too much cooking time since if the bones fall apart they can add a bad flavor to the fumet. From time to time we remove the foam that forms on the surface.
Preparation of fish and seafood soup
- Once we have our broth ready, we strain the amount we want into another saucepan. In our case, from the initial 2 liters, we have taken advantage of a liter and a half for 4 diners. Here comes the trick to this soup to make it thicker and juicier. We peel the potato and carrot and wash them with tap water.
- We grate both finely over the fumet, so that during the last touch of cooking they dissolve perfectly. We put it over medium heat so that the broth does not lose temperature. We add the fish, which as it is diced will take just 10 minutes to cook.
- When the fish is 2 minutes away from cooking. We add the prawn tails, clams and their broth to the pot so that they integrate with the rest of the ingredients. At this point we taste the salt in case we want to rectify it. We serve very hot on the table and decorate with a sprig of fresh parsley.
Tips for a perfect fish and seafood soup
- The preparation of the fish broth or fumet is very important, it is the base of our soup and that is why we must prepare it without haste so that it acquires a marine flavor. The parts left over from cleaning seafood and fish are the essential elements to make a good fumet .
- At the final time of preparing the seafood fumet, I like to add a spicy touch to the soups. Do it to the taste of the cook or the diners. It can be with a little spicy La Vera paprika or a small touch of chilli. It would be added in the preparation of this fumet.
