Discussion
Buy some good quality, raw prawns. (If possible, some lobster too but cook before removing the shell.)
Remove the shells and make a basic stock by frying them off in a little butter.
Once red, add some tomato puree and fry for around 30 seconds. Add a shot of brandy and let it reduce. Follow this with a shot of cognac/noilly prat and let that reduce as well. Add some chopped up fennel (reserving the fennel herb), leek, a crushed garlic clove, a cracked peppercorn, parsley stalks, a good pinch of salt and cover with water. Let it cook for around one hour but keep and eye on the water as it must cover the 'solids'. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly and them blitz. Pass through a sieve to remove most of the solids and then through a tea strainer to remove the tiny pieces of shell.
This makes a great base for the soup.
While the stock is cooking, prepare your fish. A selection of red mullet and gunard works very well but is sometimes hard to get hold of. Sea bass, cod and pollock all work well too. After cleaning/scaling, remove the fillets (reserve) and then chop the fish into thirds. Add all of the carcasses to the shellfish stock and add some water to cover. Cook the stock for no more than 40 minutes then strain through a sieve but push with a ladel to extract as much flavour as possible.
Keep warm and season with salt, pepper and freshly squeezed lemon juice. Add the prawns and allow to poach for a couple of minutes then add the lobster (if using) to warm through.
Heat a little oil in a pan. Season and cook the fillets, skin side down, until the edges around the skin start to become white. Add a knob of butter and turn the fillets over. Remove the pan from the heat.
Serve in warmed bowls building a tower out of the fillets which should, in turn, be sat on a couple of prawns allowing the skin to stay out of the soup and remain crispy.
I hope that all makes sense.
Enjoy
Remove the shells and make a basic stock by frying them off in a little butter.
Once red, add some tomato puree and fry for around 30 seconds. Add a shot of brandy and let it reduce. Follow this with a shot of cognac/noilly prat and let that reduce as well. Add some chopped up fennel (reserving the fennel herb), leek, a crushed garlic clove, a cracked peppercorn, parsley stalks, a good pinch of salt and cover with water. Let it cook for around one hour but keep and eye on the water as it must cover the 'solids'. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly and them blitz. Pass through a sieve to remove most of the solids and then through a tea strainer to remove the tiny pieces of shell.
This makes a great base for the soup.
While the stock is cooking, prepare your fish. A selection of red mullet and gunard works very well but is sometimes hard to get hold of. Sea bass, cod and pollock all work well too. After cleaning/scaling, remove the fillets (reserve) and then chop the fish into thirds. Add all of the carcasses to the shellfish stock and add some water to cover. Cook the stock for no more than 40 minutes then strain through a sieve but push with a ladel to extract as much flavour as possible.
Keep warm and season with salt, pepper and freshly squeezed lemon juice. Add the prawns and allow to poach for a couple of minutes then add the lobster (if using) to warm through.
Heat a little oil in a pan. Season and cook the fillets, skin side down, until the edges around the skin start to become white. Add a knob of butter and turn the fillets over. Remove the pan from the heat.
Serve in warmed bowls building a tower out of the fillets which should, in turn, be sat on a couple of prawns allowing the skin to stay out of the soup and remain crispy.
I hope that all makes sense.
Enjoy
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