Fish Soup Caribbean Style Food

CARIBBEAN FISH SOUP

Steps:

• Rinse fish with lemon juice; drain.
• Bring water to a boil in a large bowl. Add fish; simmer until soft, about 30 minutes. Strain fish, reserving broth. Let fish cool. Remove bones, trying to keep large pieces of fish intact.
• Bring broth to a boil. Add green bananas, pumpkin, potatoes, corn, carrots, okra, scallions, chile pepper, garlic, salt, pepper, and thyme. Bring back to a boil. Reduce heat to low; simmer until potatoes are almost tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in fish. Simmer until flavors combine, about 5 minutes more.
• Remove soup from heat and let stand before serving, about 30 minutes. Discard chile pepper.

FISH SOUP, CARIBBEAN-STYLE

Steps:

• Wash the fish well to remove any traces of blood. Allow to marinate in the bain Antillais (see above) for one to two hours.
• Heat the oil in a stock pot. Quickly saute all the fish, bones and head (except fillets - reserve them in marinade until the end of the recipe). Add the carrots, leeks, giraumon, igname, turnips and tomatoes. Stir to coat with oil. Add two cups of water and the scallions, thyme, garlic, bay leaf and jalapenos. Simmer over medium heat until the fish is completely cooked and beginning to shred and the vegetables can be easily pierced with the tip of a knife. Strain the soup through a fine mesh. Put the vegetables and fish through a food mill with the fine grill in place. There should be three cups of puree and three cups of liquid (if not, add additional water). Add one cup of liquid to the puree. Stir the tomato concasse and white wine into the puree-liquid mixture. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Pour the remaining liquid into a small saucepan. Bring quickly to a boil. Remove from the heat and add the reserved fish fillets. Cover and allow to steep for five minutes, or until just done. Meanwhile, heat the puree-liquid and ladle into bowls. Divide the fish between six bowls and serve immediately with crusty French bread.

SPICY FISH AND POTATO SOUP

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onions, celery and a big pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables start softening, about 7 minutes. Add the chicken broth, 2 cups water, the clam juice, potatoes, bay leaves and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Make an X in the bottom of the chile pepper with a paring knife, exposing some of the seeds; add to the broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a steady simmer and cook until the potatoes are just tender, 13 to 15 minutes.
• Season the fish with salt, add to the soup and simmer until starting to flake, about 5 minutes. Discard the chile pepper and bay leaves. Stir in the scallions. Divide the soup among bowls and top with parsley and pepper.

FISH SOUP/STEW WITH VEGETABLES

Steps:

• If necessary, thaw and/or skin fish. Then dice into 1/2-1 inch pieces. Set aside.
• In a dutch oven or very large skillet, fry bacon in heated oil until lightly browned.
• Add onion, bell peppers and celery, and fry until softened.
• Add water, potatoes, seasonings and fish.
• Cook for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
• If your fish will cook very quickly, you can wait to add it with the tomato juice.
• Add tomato juice and heat through.

CARIBBEAN-STYLE GRILLED SEAFOOD SOUP

Steps:

• Over a hot fire, grill each kind of seafood separately. The shrimp will take approximately 3 to 4 minutes per side, the scallops 3 minutes per side, the kingfish 5 minutes per side, and the lobster 4 minutes per side. As each is done, remove it from the grill, and set aside. (Note: You are looking for the seafood to get some color on its surface: Don't worry too much about cooking it completely, since it will finish in the broth.).
• In a large saucepan or soup pot, heat the oil until very hot but not smoking. Sauté the onion and celery in the hot oil until clear, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, and sauté an additional minute.
• Add the wine, clam juice, cumin, and allspice to the pot, and bring to a simmer.
• Add the sweet potato, okra, and tomato, and continue to simmer for 30 minutes.
• At this point, add any of the seafood that is not completely cooked, and simmer for 4 more minutes.
• Just before serving, add the remainder of the seafood, and simmer for 1 minute, just to warm it through. Remove the pot from the heat and add salt and pepper to taste. Just before serving, toss in the lime juice, chili peppers, and cilantro, and stir briefly.

FISH SOUP

Steps:

• Heat a large heavy stockpot and to it add the olive oil. Add the fish bones and cook them over low heat, covered, until any flesh on them flakes from the bones. Add the vegetables and any shells from the shrimp, cover and cook over low heat until the vegetables sweat, about 10 minutes.
• Deglaze the pot with the wine, scraping up any particles sticking to the bottom of the pan. Stir in the saffron, thyme, and basil.
• Add the fish stock or water, and let the mixture gently boil for 1 hour. Then puree it in a food processor or pass it through a food mill. Pass the puree through a medium strainer into a clean stockpot. Stir in the Pernod. Season the base, to taste, with salt, pepper and cayenne. The soup should have a full-bodied flavor: If it seems weak, reduce it over low heat to concentrate the flavor.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Skim any fish oil from the top of the soup and reserve it to stir into the rouille.
• Toast the croutons in the oven until golden, and then brush with rouille.
• Bring the soup to a boil. Add the shellfish and/or uncooked fish fillets to the soup, 1 variety at a time. Cook each until done; then remove from the soup and keep warm. (The lobsters will take about 10 minutes and their shells will be bright red when done; medium shrimp will take 3 or 4 minutes to cook; fish fillets from 1 to 7 minutes, depending on their thickness (they should remain slightly underdone); and the mussels and clams only cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until their shells open).
• Presentation: Place 1 crouton in the bottom of each large, shallow, heated soup plates. Then arrange the fish and/or shellfish around each crouton. Ladle the hot soup over all. Serve immediately. Pass additional rouille in a separate serving bowl.
• Clean the fish bones under cold running water, removing the gills from the head and any traces of blood on the frames.
• In a large saucepan, heat the oil. In it sweat the fish bones and vegetables over low heat, covered, for 10 minutes, stirring once or twice to prevent them from browning.
• Deglaze the pan with the wine, and then add enough water to cover the bones and vegetables by 2 inches. Add the bouquet garni and bring the liquid to a boil. Skim the froth from the surface, reduce the heat, and simmer the stock for 20 to 25 minutes.
• Strain the stock into a clean saucepan. Bring it to a boil and reduce it over medium heat to 1 quart.
• Note: Fish stock will keep in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days or frozen for 2 to 3 weeks. After that time the flavor begins to fade.
• Yield: 1 quart
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 35 minutes
• In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, garlic, mustard, and chili flakes. Whisk in the oil in a very slow steady stream until the sauce begins to emulsify. Add the remaining oil in a thin stream until all of it is incorporated. Add the saffron. Thin the sauce with the stock and season, to taste, with lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
• Yield: 1 1/2 cups
• Prep Time: 10 minutes