CHARLES WOOLEY
The best fish soup in the world is way too good to be kept a secret
Ionce ate fish soup with Mel Gibson. Back in ’93. I was in a coastal village in the state of Maine on the northeast Atlantic coast of America to interview the Australianraised star about his latest movie, The Man Without a Face. I think the SBS critic David Stratton gave it ‘half a star’. It wasn’t quite that bad. Besides, you never began a 60 Minutes star-interview with the awful truth: “Mate, I’ve just seen your latest movie and I’ve got to say, it’s a real stinker.”
Not only would that be rude but it would ensure a very short interview.
So I always tried to say something positive, like “the location is terrific,” which in fact was the truth. Maine is beautiful and bears a lot of resemblance to the western shores of the D’Entrecasteaux Channel with better architecture.
Handsome Mel played, against type, the role of a badly disfigured war veteran, so I was also able to observe without toadying that “the make-up” was good.
The movie is long forgotten but not the soup. I prefer my fish soups and chowders in the Maine and New England style, without cream. Australians just love to have the scallops, squid and whatever chunks of seafood swimming in a bowl of cream. Mel’s chef explained to me that his chowder was traditional and based on a reduction of bacon bones and potatoes with fish and stock. Cream did not belong.
Back in the day, Garry McDonald (aka Norman Gunston) would offer guests on his talk show “a fish milkshake,” which everyone quite reasonably declined. Intuitively the palates of the panel just knew that fish and cream shouldn’t hang out together.
It is still rare anywhere in coastal Australia to find chowder or a fish soup not successfully lobbied by the dairy industry. Much have I wandered in the realms of fish soup, so imagine my surprise to find what I was seeking in my own backyard, up on High Dudgeon at the Mt Nelson Signal Station. Scott Allen runs the joint and I go there often for coffee or lunch. His crew is great and while Scotty has just the slightest touch of Basil Fawlty about him, I am sure he won’t mind me telling this story.
Since Flinders sailed past, the soup on the menu has always been seafood chowder and in the creamy Australian style. “No one complains, Charlie, except you,” Scotty told me. He might have mentioned my eccentricity to the kitchen, or perhaps we were overheard arguing about fish soup, but shortly afterwards the chef appeared.
Robbie McLean is a talented cook, with 30 years experience in the industry and he knew better than me what I was looking for. “I’m not going to give you a chowder, I’m going for a broth style and I will make a fish soup you will love. Come back in two days,” he told me.
As foretold, the soup was sensational. It was light but rich and full of seafood and served with an excellent toasted focaccia, which is baked on the premises. It was easily the best I have had anywhere in the world. It was so good it defies description so I asked Robbie for permission to reprint the recipe. It tastes even better than it reads.
ROBBIE McLEAN’S MEDITERRANEANINFLUENCED FISH SOUP
This soup is a winner not only for the freshness of local seafood but also for its vitality and substance. Perfect for the darker colder months, putting a needed spring in your step while revitalising the soul.