Ingredients
200ml soup base
50g monkfish
50g gurnard (approx)
1 piece bass
1 piece red mullet
1-2 pieces fennel heart, cooked
1 piece squid
6 mussels
3-4 leek rings, cooked
3-4 pieces potato, boiled
Pinch of saffron

Method

In a small pan, bring the soup base to the boil. Add the monkfish and gurnard. Simmer for no more than two minutes.

Add the other ingredients. Take off direct heat.

Cover with a cartouche of greaseproof paper and rest (keeping hot) until served.

Just reheat for a few moments if necessary.
Rouille and croutons are the classic accompaniments to fish soup or bouillabaisse.

At first it was a mixture of red pepper and saffron combined with a couple of tablespoons of the broth added back to the soup to give colour. It has evolved over time and there are dozens of Provençal variations – some based on mashed potato, others on mayonnaise.

Sweating the vegetables over a low heat at first, then turning up the flame, allows them to cook thoroughly before a light caramelisation.

Poach the fennel hearts and leek rings in the broth at ‘stage 2’. They’ll absorb the broth’s flavour and contribute more of their own to it.

Be careful not to cook the saffron for too long or it will lose its aroma. A good way of extracting the maximum from it is to pound it with a little boiling water in a mortar before adding it to the soup.

Mario Schembri is an Executive Chef & General Manager, Ta’ Frenċ Restaurant, Xagħra, Gozo.