Greek Fish Soup aka Psarosoupa
A hearty mix of fish and vegetables, this PSAROSOUPA – Greek Fish Soup, is my parent's favourite way to enjoy and warm, hearty and low-calorie meal.
Before we begin, I know many may think they just don’t want to deal with a whole fish and remove the bones, but you need to know that the head and bones are the actual parts of the fish that create the deliciously hearty and aromatic stock.
It’s like chicken soup. You boil the bones along with the meat and then remove the bones.
Trust me, it's worth it.
Greek Fish Soup
Serves 4
Prep
Cook
Ingredients:
500g Whole Red Snapper Fish (head intact, cleaned and descaled)
500g Leather Jacket Fish (head and skin removed)
2+ litres water
2 large potatoes diced
3 large carrots, peeled and diced
3 celery stalks, strings removed and thinly sliced
2 brown onions, finely chopped
3 bay leaves
1-star anise
2 tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Zest and Juice of 1 lemon
Sea salt and pepper, a generous amount
To garnish:
Juice of 1 Lemon
2 tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil
¼ cup finely chopped parsley
freshly ground pepper
Making the Broth:
Place fish into a wide and deep pot and fill with water. You may need to add a half a litre extra. Cover and bring to boil. Then reduce heat and simmer for 40 minutes.
Remove fish from the pot and strain stock in a separate cooking pot in case there are any scales or bones.
Soup:
Place the stock over high heat and add all the remaining ingredients making sure you season well with salt. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and cover for 30 minutes.
In the meantime separate the fish meat from the bones. Be careful to not leave any small bones. The best way to do this is to flake the fish and feel it with your fingers.
After the 30 minutes, add the lemon juice, parsley, EVOO and freshly ground pepper into the pot and boil for 1 minute.
Ladle the soup into bowls and place a handful of fish meat over the top.
Serve alongside crusty bread and olives.
