Italian Fish and Fennel soup with Toasted Garlic Bread

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A warming and hearty soup made with fresh aromatic fish stock, best served with a lightly dressed salad

  • Serving: 4
  • Cooking time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • For the stock
  • Bones from the sea bass, chopped into pieces
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 4 parsley stalks
  • 2 sprigs of mint
  • 1 tbsp fennel seeds
  • 150ml/5floz dry white wine
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 bulb of Florence fennel, tough outer leaves removed and sliced lengthways into 8 wedges
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 400g can chopped tomatoes
  • 250ml/8floz dry white wine
  • 450g/1lb mussels cleaned under running water, “beards” pulled away and any shells that remain open, when tapped, discarded
  • 2 large sea bass, filleted and the 4 fillets cut diagonally into thirds (keep the bones for stock)
  • 1tbsp chopped basil
  • 1tbsp chopped flat leaf parsely
  • 1 lemon cut into 4 wedges
  • For the garlic toast
  • 4 slices of white Genius bread
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled

Method

  1. Place all the stock ingredients in a pan, cover with water and season well. Slowly bring to the boil and turn the heat down to a simmer. Simmer for 15 minutes, removing any scum that collects on the surface. Do not simmer for longer or the stock will start to taste bitter. Strain through a sieve into a bowl and set aside.
  2. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large pan, add the fennel slices, season with salt and pepper and gently fry until tender and golden brown. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside.
  3. Add the garlic to the pan, fry for 30 seconds then stir in the tomatoes. Simmer gently until the tomatoes break down. Remove the pan from the heat and whiz the tomato mixture to smooth puree.
  4. Pour the pureed tomato back into the pan, add the stock and wine and bring to the boil. Simmer for 2 minutes to boil off the alcohol in the wine then add the fried fennel, cleaned mussels and seabass fillets and gently simmer for 5 minutes or until the mussel shells have opened wide. Discard any mussels that remain closed as they are not safe to eat. Taste and season as necessary.
  5. Toast the slices of Genius bread, rub with garlic, drizzle with olive oil, cut in half diagonally and arrange two triangles of bread in the base of each soup bowl.
  6. Ladle the soup onto the garlic toast, sprinkle with basil and parsley, top with a lemon wedge and serve immediately.