Fish soup with spicy tomato topping

Ingredients for 6 servings:

• 2 red bell peppers
• 2 carrots
• 1 m.-large zucchini
• 1 stalk(s) leek
• 1 bunch of spring onions
• 4 onions, red
• 2 bulbs of fennel
• 4 stalks celery
• 1 bulb(s) garlic, young
• 100 g mushrooms
• 200 ml dry vermouth
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• ½ bunch thyme (or 2 tbsp dried)
• 3 sprig(s) rosemary (or 1 tbsp dried)
• 4 bay leaves
• 1 tsp saffron threads
• 1 tbsp salt, coarse (preferably sea salt)
• 2 ½ liters of water
• 1 m.-large zucchini
• 1 bulb(s) of fennel
• 1 small cucumber(s) (or 1/2 large)
• 1 onion(s), red
• 250 g redfish fillet(s)
• 250 g fish fillet(s), pollock
• 250 g cod fillet(s)
• 250 g fish fillet(s), wolffish
• 200 g shrimp(s)
• 1 small fish (char)
• 4 tomatoes, ripe
• 1 chili pepper(s) or 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 pinch(s) of sugar
• salt and pepper
• olive oil

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour; Rest time approx. 1 hour; Total time approx. 2 hours

elaborate, but very fine – an ideal guest meal

For the vegetable broth: Briefly wash and clean the peppers, carrots, zucchini, leeks, spring onions, and fennel thoroughly. Remove the stems, white pith, and seeds from the peppers; trim the green end and root end from the carrots; trim the stem end from the zucchini; and trim the root end and dark green parts from the leeks and spring onions. Roughly chop all the vegetables together with the celery, garlic, mushrooms, and three onions. Halve the fourth onion and fry the cut sides in a non-stick pan without fat until blackened. In a very large pot, add the roughly chopped vegetables, the toasted onion halves, the olive oil, vermouth, herbs, salt, and water. Bring to a boil, then simmer covered for 1.5 hours. Pour the broth through a fine sieve into a pot, squeeze the water out of the vegetables thoroughly (you won’t need it anymore, as it’s already boiled). Reduce the broth to about 1.5 liters over moderate heat without a lid (measure occasionally). Crush the saffron threads with a little water in a cup and stir. Add to the broth and stir in. Season to taste, adding salt if necessary. Tip: The broth is ideal for freezing. However, only add the saffron threads after thawing. For the tomato topping, remove the stem ends from the tomatoes with a sharp, pointed knife. Then blanch the tomatoes with hot water, rinse with cold water, and peel them. Halve the tomatoes, then quarter them, remove the seeds and juice, and cut the flesh into small cubes. Halve the chili pepper, scrape out the seeds, and finely chop the pod. Add to the diced tomatoes along with the olive oil, stir well, and season with salt, pepper, and sugar. Cover and let stand in the refrigerator for a few hours. Once warmed to room temperature, season to taste and add more salt and pepper if desired. Have your local fishmonger remove the skin and bones from the fish fillets when you buy them. As a precaution, check again at home and remove any missed bones with tweezers. Have your fishmonger also remove the shells and intestines from the shrimp. If using frozen products, thaw the fish and shrimp and then skin, bone, or shell and intestines yourself. For the soup garnish, wash and trim the zucchini and fennel, and cut into fine strips. Wash the cucumber thoroughly, halve lengthwise, scrape out the seeds with a teaspoon, and dice the flesh with the skin on. Rinse the fish fillets and cut into bite-sized pieces. Rinse the shrimp and char. Bring the vegetable broth to a boil, add the char and vegetables. Bring back to a boil briefly, then immediately reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. After about 10 minutes, add the fish fillets and shrimp and simmer gently for about 5 minutes. Remove the char from the broth, remove the skin, and bone the fillets. Ladle the soup into deep bowls with plenty of stock, the char, and shrimp. Drizzle with a little olive oil and a tablespoon of the tomato topping. Serve with a not-too-dry rosé or white wine. If you don’t follow separate foods, you can serve it with baguette or party rolls. As a starter soup: serves 6 to 8 people. As a main course soup: serves 4 to 6 people.