How to Cook Fish Soup

Popular the world over, fish soup has as many varieties as there are fish in the ocean. From Russia to the Philippines, the Mediterranean to the North Sea, delicious recipes abound. Experiment with a list of general ingredients and discover your own favorite fish soup recipe.

Things You'll Need

• 1 to 2 lb. whole fish
• 1 or 2 potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 2 or 3 tomatoes, sliced
• 2 green peppers, sliced or cubed
• 1 or 2 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 1 celery stalk, sliced
• 1 leek, green part only
• 1 bunch parsley
• 1 lemon
• 2 to 3 tbsp. vegetable oil
• Salt
• Pepper
• Seasoning/spices (choose among curry, cayenne, bay leaves, thyme, ginger, lemongrass)
• 2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ cup dry white wine
• 1-1½ qt. water

Instructions

1. Fillet the fish and cut it into bite-size pieces. Keep the fish heads, bones and skin. You may choose to marinate the filleted fish pieces in a bowl of lemon juice, vegetable oil and garlic, ginger or other spices.

2. Combine the fish heads, bones and skin with the water, leek, salt, pepper, parsley and your choice of spices (one or two bay leaves, curry, lemongrass, ginger) in a large saucepan. Bring the stock to a boil, cover and boil for about 20 minutes.

3. Strain the stock into a separate container and set aside.

4. Sauté the vegetables and garlic in vegetable oil (or butter) in the same saucepan for 5 to 10 minutes over low heat. Cook until the vegetables are tender.

5. Add the strained stock, filleted fish pieces and wine to the pan and simmer for another 5 to 10 minutes. Check taste and season accordingly using salt, pepper and cayenne.

Tips & Warnings

• Take care not to overcook the fish. Remove the soup from heat as soon as the fish is cooked through and tender.

• Experiment with the vegetables and types of fish listed here. Try out others as well and mix up the combinations to find the right fish soup recipe for you.

• Consider adding shrimp or crabmeat to the recipe for variety.