100 g Butter
2 Leeks; well washed and
; finely sliced
2 Onions; finely chopped
4 Cloves garlic; minced
2 Carrots; peeled and chopped
1 Parsnip; peeled and chopped
2 Ribs celery; finely sliced
1 tb Fresh thyme leaves
1/2 c Plain flour
8 c Fish stock
1 kg Mixed seafood including
-prawns; mussels, clams,
; squid, white fish
1 lg Lemon; juice of
1 200 milliliter thick cream
1 c Chopped fresh parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
8 Smallish round loaves of
-bread
1/2 bn Chives; chopped
First, prepare the bread bowls. Using a sharp knife, Cut a large whole in
the top of the bread loaf then remove this crusty top and set aside.
Carefully remove all the soft bread from the inside of the loaf, leaving
the surrounding crust intact. Place the loaves in an oven preheated to
200c. and bake for 15 minutes until the loaves are crisp and dry. Set
aside.
Melt the butter in a large saucepan and add the chopped leeks, onions,
garlic, carrots, parsnip, celery and thyme leaves and saute in the butter
for 10 minutes until the vegetables are soft and golden.
Remove the pan from the heat and sprinkle the flour over the vegetables,
stirring constantly to mix the flour with the butter. Return the pan to the
heat and continue stirring until the mixture begins to turn golden, about 2
minutes (this gives the flour a cooked’ flavour).
Add the fish stock, stirring constantly to dissolve the roux mixture into
the liquid. then simmer the soup for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the
seafood by cutting the fish and shellfish into bite size pieces.
Add all the shellfish, cream, parsley and salt and pepper to taste and cook
for a further 5 minutes – do not allow the soup to boil rapidly because it
may curdle. Once the shellfish has cooked, stir through the lemon juice and
ladle the soup into the bread bowls. Garnish with a some chopped chives and
serve.
Yields
1 servings