Provencal Fish Soup

Serves 6-8

You will need:

3 tablespoons olive oil 3 cloves of garlic, chopped 1 onion, chopped 1 medium carrot, chopped 2 celery stalks, chopped Salt and freshly ground black pepper 2 strips of orange zest 3 sprigs of thyme 2 teaspoons ground coriander 1 teaspoon ground fennel A pinch of saffron strands 1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes 50ml port 100ml red wine 500ml light chicken stock or fish stock 500g filleted and skinned fish (I used salmon and pollock), chopped 75ml cream, plus extra for drizzling 1 tablespoon Pernod or Ricard A drizzle of pesto Crusty bread, to serve

1 Put a saucepan on a medium heat, and add the olive oil. Tip in the chopped garlic, the chopped onion, the chopped carrot and the chopped celery. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and cook over a low heat, with the lid on, for 6-8 minutes until the vegetables have softened.

2 Add in the strips of orange zest, the sprigs of thyme, the ground coriander, the ground fennel, and the saffron strands. Stir over a medium heat until fragrant — about three minutes — then mix in the tinned chopped tomatoes, the port, the red wine and the light chicken stock or the fish stock, whichever you’re using, and bring to the boil.

3 Add in the chopped fish, and simmer for 5-10 minutes until it is cooked, then remove the orange zest and the thyme sprigs.

4 Liquidise the soup, then push it through a sieve, discarding the pulp left behind in the sieve. Pour the strained soup into a saucepan, and add in the cream and the Pernod or the Ricard, whichever you’re using. Heat up the soup, and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

5 Serve steaming hot with a small drizzle of pesto and cream, and some crusty bread.