Fish Soup of Marseille
Fish Soup of Marseille is a traditional French dish brimming with the essence of the Mediterranean. Made with fresh fish heads, aromatic herbs, and Provençal flavors like fennel and saffron, this soup delivers a warm, hearty meal perfect for seafood lovers.
Servings: 8
Calories: 250kcal
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons olive oil, extra virgin
- 1 medium orange, skin grated, peeled and quartered
- 4 pounds snapper heads, gills and eyes removed, chopped
- 0.5 cup dry white wine
- 1 large carrot, peeled and sliced
- 2 medium onions, peeled and sliced
- 1 head garlic, split in half
- 2 stalk celery, sliced
- 1 small head of fennel, sliced
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 5 bay leaves
- 28 ounces crushed tomato
- 5.5 ounces tomato paste
- 1 gram saffron crocus
- 0.25 teaspoon chili powder
- 4 liters cold water
Instructions
- To start: Wash the chopped fish heads under cold running water until the water becomes clear. This should take about 20 minutes. In the meantime, prepare and dice all vegetables in quarter-inch cubes. Strain fish heads in a colander.
- Cook the soup: Place a large stockpot on medium heat, add olive oil and fish heads. Cook slowly for 5 minutes. Add wine and cook for 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Add chopped vegetables, quartered orange and zest, thyme, rosemary, bay leaves, crushed tomato, tomato paste, saffron, salt, pepper, chili, and water. Mix well and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Simmer for about 3 hours on medium-low heat, stirring from time-to-time making sure that nothing sticks to the bottom.
- Finish the soup: Pass the fish soup through a vegetable mill to extract maximum flavors, and discard bones. Cool the soup and refrigerate overnight. Before boiling the soup again, quarter-inch excess fat on the top. When the soup is hot, taste and more seasoning if desired.
- Serve with crostini, grated Gruyere and Provençal Rouille sauce.
Video
Notes
Where is Marseilles? Although part of the region of Provence, Marseilles has a soul of its own. Founded in 600 B.C. by the Greek sailors of Phocaea, this great city is the oldest in France and surely the most complex. As the country's second-largest city, and the largest commercial port, Marseilles, in the time of the French colonies, was the gateway to the Mediterranean. Today, Marseilles remains the capital of southern Europe and is cosmopolitan and exuberant with a picturesque old port, its famous Bouillabaisse, and its folklore.