Fish Soup With Fennel and Pernod
- Total Time
- 30 minutes for Stage 1; 10 minutes for Stage 2
- Rating
- Comments
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Ingredients
- 1small onion
- 1rib celery
- 4garlic cloves
- ½head fennel (save wispy tops for garnish)
- 3tablespoons best quality extra-virgin olive oil; more for drizzling
- 2tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon Pernod or other anise-flavored liqueur
- 1teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- Salt and black pepper
- 1cup dry white wine
- 1cup canned tomato purée, preferably San Marzano
- 4whole peeled canned tomatoes, preferably San Marzano, rinsed and chopped
- 20mussels, scrubbed
- ¾pound skinless flaky white fish fillets, such as halibut, cut into two pieces
Preparation
- Step 1
Stage 1, pre-bedtime. Put onion, celery, garlic and fennel in a food processor, and pulse gently until chopped into a coarse paste.
- Step 2
Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add coarsely processed vegetables to pan, and sauté, stirring often, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons Pernod, and boil until almost evaporated. Add red pepper flakes, and season with salt and pepper.
- Step 3
Pour in wine, and bring to a boil. Reduce for 2 minutes, and add tomato purée and chopped tomatoes. Bring to boil, stir, cover and remove from heat.
- Step 4
Stage 2, post-bedtime. Return saucepan to medium heat until barely simmering. Gently slide mussels and fish into broth. Bring broth back to a simmer, and cook, stirring once or twice to give mussels room to open, until mussels and fish are cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes.
- Step 5
Divide mussels and fish into warmed bowls. Pour soup over all, and scatter with fennel tops. Sprinkle with remaining teaspoon Pernod (skip Pernod if children are eating) and more olive oil. Serve immediately with crusty bread, if desired.
Private Notes
Comments
Other than reducing the the amount of crushed red pepper. I reduced it by half. It is a delicious soup and easy to make. Next time I’d add a bay leaf and some fresh thyme. I will definitely make it again.
If for kids I'd rethink the red pepper flakes--it was too spicy for my wife. Mine was not soupy,, but good. I added a tsp of fennel seeds.