Читать книгу Cooking for Friends - Gordon Ramsay - Страница 12
ОглавлениеConger eels are considered a delicacy by the French and Japanese, and rightly so. Here I’ve used the eel as a base for a flavourful fish soup. It’s rich, so serve it in small bowls as a starter with a few garlic croutes on the side.
SERVES 4-6
2kg conger eel fillets (get your fishmonger to remove the skin and cut the meat into
boneless fillets) pinch of saffron strands olive oil, for cooking 1 fennel bulb, finely sliced
1 carrot, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 shallot, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed 2 star anise
generous pinch of cayenne pepper
250ml Pernod or Noilly Prat
1 large potato, about 300g, finely diced
5 vine-ripened plum tomatoes, deseeded and chopped
sprig each of basil and flat-leaf parsley, leaves chopped
1 litre hot fish stock (see page 262)
squeeze of lemon juice (optional)
Season the eel fillets with salt, pepper and saffron, then drizzle over a little olive oil. Toss well to coat evenly. Heat a thin layer of olive oil in a wide pan. Fry the eel fillets in batches over a moderate heat for 2-3 minutes on each side. Remove to a plate and set aside.
Add a little more oil to the pan and toss in the fennel, carrot, celery, shallot, garlic, star anise and cayenne pepper. Stir frequently over a medium heat for a few minutes. Pour in the Pernod and boil until reduced to a syrupy consistency. Add the potato, tomatoes and herbs, then return the eel to the pan. Pour in enough stock to cover and bring to a simmer. Cook gently for about 15-20 minutes until the potatoes are very soft.
Fish out and discard the star anise. In batches, blend the soup until smooth, holding a tea towel over the blender as you blitz to avoid hot-soup splatters. Strain the soup through a fine sieve into a clean pan, pressing down to extract all the liquid.
Return the soup to a gentle simmer and reheat for a few minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding a squeeze of lemon juice if you wish. Pour into warm soup bowls and serve immediately.
