French Fish Soup

Ingredients

• 1.5 kg mixed seafood (e.g., redfish, knurrhahn, dragonhead)
• 8 giant shrimp
• 1 stalk leek
• 1 onion
• 4 tomatoes
• 1 bulb fennel
• 100 g mushrooms
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp Paprika powder (sweet)
• 150 ml dry white wine
• 250 ml vegetable broth
• 300 g waxy potatoes
• 1 star anise
• 2 Bay leaves
• 5 stems thyme
• 1 tin saffron strands (0.1 g)
• Sea salt
• pepper (ground)
• olive oil

Instructions

1. 1.

   Rinse the fish and pat dry. Fillet and debone. Cut all fillets into bite-sized pieces. Rinse the shrimp and clean them; peel and remove heads if desired.

2. 2.

   Wash, trim or peel the leek, onion, tomatoes, fennel, tomatoes, and mushrooms, then cut into pieces.

3. 3.

   Heat oil in a hot pot and sauté the prepared vegetables until translucent. Reserve half of the tomatoes and some fennel as garnish. Stir in tomato paste and paprika, deglaze with white wine and broth. Peel and dice potatoes; add them along with fish heads (without gills), star anise, and bay leaves to the pot. Fill with water, cover, add thyme, and bring to a boil. Skim off foam and let the soup simmer gently for about 20 minutes.

4. 4.

   Strain through a fine sieve and drain well.

5. 5.

   To finish the bouillabaisse, bring the hearty fish broth to a boil and season with saffron strands, sea salt, and pepper. Reduce further if needed or add water. Drizzle olive oil on top, then add the reserved small vegetables, fish pieces, and shrimp. Cover and let cook for 5-10 minutes.

6. 6.

   Taste and serve with toasted white bread and rouille as desired.