Venetian Fish Soup Or Stew

Pin It

This is probably one of the best fish soups or stews you will ever eat.  It is a classic at Harry's Bar in Venice.

 Having lucked out on some fish this week, I decided to serve it as a stew by adding more fish and shrimp and serving it with white rice on the side. I also cut the pieces slightly larger than I would for a soup.  Either way, it is fish soup (or stew) at its best, but only if you follow it to a t and use good fresh fish.

I know I have just published a recipe from Harry's (the cannelloni) and you may be wondering what's up with me.  While looking for the pasta recipe I came across this and decided I must try it.  Heaven knows I have heard raves about it but never had enough room in me to have both this and a pasta when I visited the restaurant.    So I had to give it a go before this winter was over and here we are, March 1st.  The daffodils are about to pop.

Although I served it for dinner tonight, it would also make a fine main course for Sunday lunch with friends or family.

Make sure you make the fish broth from scratch.  A good stock can make or break a soup or stew like this and fish cubes don't cut the mustard here.  Trust me, the end result will more than reward you.

I used fresh mahi mahi and flash frozen cod.  Fresh shrimp would be great.

Don't skip anything, and that includes the anchovies and the parsley.  I know you are frowning at the former and consider the latter a waste of time.  They are not.
 

Make sure you accompany with a fresh baguette even if you serve with rice on the side.

The real color of the soup is a beautiful saffron or that of butternut squash.  Not being a great photographer, I had to touch up and it came out like this. 

  

 Venetian Fish Soup

Serves 6 to 8 as a first course or 6 if doubling the fish and shrimp and serving with rice as a stew.

Ingredients

• 2 stalks celery, cut into julienne strips
• 2 medium onions, julienned
• 1 carrot, julienned
• 1/3 c. olive oil
• 1 medium tomato, peeled, seeded, julienned
• 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 8 cups stock (brodo) -- fish or half fish and half vegetable
• 1/4 (or more) t. saffron threads (steep in tablespoon of hot stock for20 minutes)
• 1 bay leaf
• pinch cayenne
• salt and black pepper
• 1/2 lb. EACH of two kinds of boneless, skinless white fish (such as halibut, sea bass, monkfish) cut into 1/2 inch. pieces
• 1/2 lb. medium shrimp (shelled, deveined), cut into thirds
• 1/4 cup brandy
• 1 clove garlic, minced                                                 
• 2 canned anchovy fillets, drained and chopped (or use anchovy paste)
• 3 flat leaf parsley sprigs, chopped
• fresh rosemary, leaves from 1 sprig chopped (or pinch dried)
• fresh thyme, leaves from 1 sprig chopped (or pinch dried)

Directions:                                                 

• First make the brodo or stock (See below). Set aside. 

• Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in large saucepan over medium heat.
• Add celery, onions and carrot and cook, stirring often for 5 minutes or until soft but not brown.
• Add tomato and cook for 1 minute
• Stir in 1/4 c. flour and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
• Stir in wine and bring to a boil, then simmer, stirring often, for 2-3 minutes, until mixture has thickened.
• Stir in stock, saffron, bay leaf, cayenne, salt and pepper to taste, and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, partially covered, for 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, combine remaining flour with 1/4 t. salt and 1/4 t. pepper in plastic bag, and toss fish and shrimp until well coated.
• Heat 2 Tbsp. of the oil in large skillet over medium-high heat, and cook fish and shrimp, stirring, for 2-3 minutes until browned and just cooked. Don't overcook.
• Add brandy to skillet to warm it, then (standing back) ignite brandy. Swirl the skillet until flames die down, then add contents of skillet to soup.
• Wipe out skillet and heat remaining oil over medium heat. Add remaining ingredients, anchovies, rosemary, thyme, parsley and garlic and cook for a minute or two.  Pour the flavored oil through a strainer into the soup.   Let flavors blend a few minutes before serving.

Brodo (fish stock):

2 to 3 lbs bones of any white fish
1 medium onion cut in chunks
2 leeks, white part only, washed and sliced
1 celery rib cut in chunks
2 quarts cold water
1 cup dry white wine
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tsp salt
bouquet garni of
3 flat leaf parsley sprigs
1 thyme sprig
1 bay leaf
10 peppercorns all tied in cheesecloth

Throw everything in a stock pot, bring to a boil and cook for 20 minutes on medium partially covered.  Let cool.  Strain through a fine sieve into a bowl


Recipe adapted from Harry's Bar Cookbook
All photos Lindaraxa

Pappardelle With Pancetta, Chestnuts And Sage

Pin It

This is by far the best pasta I have had in a long, long time.  Perhaps it is the combination of the sweetness of the chestnuts with the pancetta and sage.  I really don't know, but it works.  It is an easy and elegant main course for a weeknight dinner or a beautiful lunch.   All it needs to go with it is a leafy salad.  Have extra Parmesan cheese to pass around after you serve.

You can substitute the pancetta, if you must, with bacon;  but make sure you cut it first in 1/2 inch pieces and boil it in about 2 inches of water for about 5 minutes to get rid of the fat.  Then proceed with the recipe.

Bottled chestnuts might now be on sale at your local Williams Sonoma.  I am lucky enough to live about 10 minutes from their outlet and got them this weekend half price.  I have been hoarding bottles for 2 weeks, saving three for my chestnut soup on Christmas Eve.  You will also find them at specialty stores but try to get this brand, they are superb, although a bit pricey.  If you go the long route, try to steam instead of  boiling or roasting.

Serves 4 as a main course or 6 for a first course

Ingredients

3 ounces Pancetta chopped
1 TB Olive Oil
1 small Onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves
2 TB finely chopped sage
1/2 lbs ( 1 1/2 cups) bottled, peeled and cooked chestnuts, coarsely chopped
1/2 lbs Pappardelle, tagliatelle or fettuccine
1 cup finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano
2 TB butter
3 TB Heavy cream (optional)*
Salt & Pepper
1 Tb finely chopped parsley

Directions

Cook pancetta in oil in a 12 inch skillet until it begins to brown, about 3 to 4 minutes.  Add onions and cook another 3 to 4 minutes.  Add garlic and 1 Tb sage.  Cook for another minute.  Add chestnuts and remove from heat.

Cook pasta until al dente and drain, reserving 1 cup of pasta water.

Add pasta to the pancetta mixture, plus 1 cup of reserved water, the cheese and butter and stir constantly over high heat until thoroughly coated, about 1 minute.  Season with salt and pepper, add the remaining sage and sprinkle with parsley.  Serve immediately and pass some extra cheese.

* I added the heavy cream after adding about 1/2 cup of the water.  Reduced water by 1/4 cup.  This is optional but yummy.  You can skip and just add the water.

Seared Mahi Mahi With A Citrus Soy Glaze & Coconut Rice

Pin It

I have been eating and fishing for yellow tail (mahi mahi) ever since I was twelve and I have found no better way to prepare it than straight into the frying pan.  You can bake or broil it, but there is something about searing it first to preserve the moisture and then topping it with a light and simple sauce or glaze..  If it is really fresh, don't fool around with it, fry it in butter and oil combination, garlic, maybe onions, lots of lemon or lime and salt and pepper.

For many years, I lived in Key Biscayne, Florida and all I had to do was go down to the docks (a 10 minute ride) and get some still kicking around in a bucket.  Now I live inland on a lake and guess what, there isn't a yellow tail in sight for at least 600 miles.  Luckily, there is a Trader Joe's about 20 miles away and their fish is pretty good. Comes flash frozen from Peru and that is as close to fresh as you can get. I have already posted a recipe for mahi mahi but this time I thought I would give it an Asian flair.


Yield 4 servings

Ingredients

For marinade:

1 lb. mahi mahi fillets
juice from 1 orange
juice from 1 lime
2 TB soy Sauce
2 TB olive oil
1 TB cilantro
Salt & Pepper

3 TB sesame oil
4 cloves garlic mashed
1/2 tsp minced ginger
Flour for dredging
1 bunch scallions, sliced green & white part



Directions

In a shallow glass dish, stir together the orange and lime juices, soy sauce,  and olive oil. Season fish fillets with salt and pepper and cilantro, and place them into the dish. If the fillets have skin on them, place them skin side down. Cover, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to marinate.

Heat sesame oil oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Remove fish from the dish, and reserve marinade. Pat dry and dredge in flour.  Shake off excess flour. Add garlic and ginger to pan, saute for about 30 secs. add fish and fry  for 4 to 6 minutes on each side, turning only once, until fish flakes easily with a fork. Remove fillets to a serving platter and keep warm.

Add a little more sesame oil to pan. Add chopped scallions and cook for about 2 mins.  Remove and add to platter with fish. Pour reserved marinade into the skillet, and heat over medium heat until the mixture reduces to a glaze consistency. Spoon glaze over fish, and serve immediately.

Coconut Rice

Don't gild the lily this time.  The mahi has a lot of ingredients so you want to keep this coconut rice fairly simple.  This is just background music with a little diversion for the star of the meal.

1 cup jasmine rice
1 TB butter
1 Cup coconut milk
1/2 cup water
rind of lime
salt

Bring coconut milk, salt,  butter, lemon rind and water to a boil.  Add rice, lower the temperature to low and cook covered until done.  Do not stir!.  Once it has absorbed all the water and is done, stir with a fork and replace the lid with a folded paper towel placed between the closed lid and the rice.  Just before serving, remove paper towel and stir.

Pan Fried Mahi-Mahi with Garlic, Onions & Tomatoes

Pin It

Fresh Mahi- Mahi

The wonderful things about living in Florida is you can always go down to the docks and 90% of the time, you'll find fresh Mahi-Mahi for sale. But what do you do when you are land locked and there are no docks for 500 miles? why you buy it frozen..yes frozen, at the grocery store, no less!

I know as you are reading this you are probably thinking, it's time to unsubscribe from this silly cooking blog but before you do, read on for a bit. Awhile back, my daughter who has been raised on nothing but the freshest fish, called me one day from Atlanta and mentioned she had bought some frozen Mahi Mahi at the Kroger's in town and that it was pretty good. I really thought nothing of it until my mother showed up at the house one day with some frozen halibut, her favorite fish, frozen from the grocery store (Publix). We had it pan fried that night and you know what? it was pretty good. Granted, not the same as what you would get in San Francisco, but better than what you would get at the local fish store.

Tonight I had the frozen Mahi -Mahi and here's the trick. Take it out of the refrigerator and let it defrost slowly. Once it is defrosted, marinade it in some lemon juice, a tad of olive oil, mashed garlic and chopped onions for at least 2 hrs. Then proceed to cook as you would if it were fresh. You will be pleasantly surprised. Serve with yellow rice or boiled potatoes. Don't tell anybody where you bought it!

Serves 2

Ingredients

2 Mahi-Mahi fillets fresh or frozen

2 TB olive oil

1 TB butter

2 cloves of garlic mashed

1 medium onion, chopped

juice of 1/2 lemon

flour for dredging

dash of Old Bay or Fisherman's Seasoning

Grape tomatoes or regular tomatoes, chopped

Salt and pepper

Parsley (optional)

Instructions

Defrost and marinade per instructions above.

Add olive oil and butter to the pan, as well as the mashed and finely chopped garlic. Cook for a minute or two.

Just before frying, remove fish from marinade, pat dry and coat with the flour and seasonings. Add to the skillet and pan fry at medium high for about 3 minutes. It all depends on the thickness of the fillet. Flip over and add the drained chopped onions from the marinade and the chopped tomatoes. Reserve the lemon juice. Cook for another 3-4 minutes. Be careful with the onions, you might want to lower the heat a bit and you can always remove them if they start to burn. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove the fillet from pan and add the parsley and the lemon juice from the marinade plus extra if desired. Swirl around to deglaze the pan and pour over the fillets.

Cook's Note: The frozen fish packages are found near the meat counter. They are flash frozen inmediately after caught! I have tried the Bay Scallops, Mahi-Mahi and Halibut which are pretty good. Always cook with some kind of a sauce and defrost slowly.


New Photos by Lindaraxa taken 8/6/10 using fresh mahi mahi