Fish soup (kakavia)
8 servings
Ingredients
Quantity | Ingredient | |
---|---|---|
Karen Mintzias | ||
1½ | kilograms | Fish trimmings |
3 | litres | Water |
Salt | ||
Whole peppercorns | ||
2 | larges | Onions; chopped |
2 | Garlic cloves; crushed | |
2 | Leeks (optional) white part only | |
1½ | kilograms | Mixed whole fish |
500 | grams | Green lobster tails |
1 | cup | Chopped carrot |
1 | cup | Chopped celery (with leaves) |
½ | cup | Olive oil |
2 | cups | Chopped, peeled tomatoes |
2 | Bay leaves | |
4 | Sprigs parsley | |
1 | Sprig thyme | |
750 | grams | Potatoes; peeled & sliced |
Parsley; chopped | ||
500 | grams | Large green prawns |
2 | tablespoons | Lemon juice |
Directions
FISH (SEE NOTE
Obtain from the fishmonger fish trimmings such as heads and backbones.
Rinse well and place in a large pot. Add water, salt and ½ teaspoon peppercorns and simmer for 2 hours. Strain stock and reserve.
Gently fry onion, garlic, chopped leeks, carrots and celery in oil for 10 minutes. Add chopped tomatoes, herbs tied into a bunch and reserved fish stock. Season well with salt and freshly ground pepper. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Add potatoes and boil for 5 minutes.
Reduce heat, add fish pieces and simmer 3 minutes, then add lobster pieces and prawns and simmer for 7-10 minutes until prawns turn pink and lobster meat is cooked. Do not boil when shellfish are added for they will toughen.
Pile fish, shellfish and potatoes in a serving dish, sprinkle with chopped parsley and keep hot.
Serve soup in a tureen as a first course with crusty bread, then follow with seafoods and potatoes served with lemon wedges and a cruet of olive oil. Alternatively soup, potatoes and seafoods may be served together in deep plates. NOTE: Fish and shellfish preparation: Fish suitable are snapper, mullet, eel, whiting, john dory and bream. Cut into 5 cm (2 inch) slices and sprinkle with lemon juice. Add heads and trimmings to fish stock. Cut rinsed lobster tails into 5 cm (2 inch) pieces with shell on. Shell and de-vein prawns.
Source: The Greek Cookbook by Tess Mallos Typos by: Karen Mintzias