The Plettenberg Hotel’s signature dish comprises of only the freshest ocean fare. The delectable combination of fish and fragrant spices make it a most impressive starter, or even the star of the show.
Ingredients (serves 6)
- 1 Kg whole fish, such as hake, gurnard etc cut into pieces, (do not use an oily fish like mackerel, trout or salmon)
- 90 ml olive oil
- 80 g each of onion, celery, leek and fennel, roughly chopped
- 3 garlic cloves sliced
- Zest of one whole orange
- Juice of one whole orange
- 200 g tinned tomatoes blended
- 1 red pepper, seeded and sliced
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 sprig thyme
- A pinch of saffron
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- 2 litres very strong fish stock (see recipe below)
- Salt and freshly-ground black pepper
For the fish stock recipe you will need:
Makes 2 litres
- 1 kg fish bones
- 1 onion chopped
- 1 fennel bulb chopped
- 100g sliced celery
- 100g sliced carrots
- 100g chopped leeks
- 250 g sliced button mushrooms
- 1 sprig thyme
- 3 litres water
For the croutons you will need:
- 1 small baguette
- Olive oil for frying
- 1 garlic clove
For the rouille you will need:
- 25 g sliced day-old crustless white bread
- A little water
- 2 Tbl spoon harissa
- 3 fat peeled garlic cloves
- 1 egg yolk
- ¼ tsp salt
- 250 ml olive oil
Method
To make the stock
- Put all the ingredients into a large pan and simmer very gently for 30 minutes.
- Strain through a muslin-lined fine sieve, and use as required. If not using immediately, leave to cool, then chill and refrigerate or freeze.
To make the soup
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot, add the vegetables and garlic and cook gently for 20 minutes until soft but not coloured.
- Add the orange zest, tomatoes, red pepper, bay leaf, thyme, saffron, cayenne pepper, and the fish pieces.
- Cook briskly for 2 – 3 minutes, then add the strained stock and orange juice, bring to the boil and simmer for 40 minutes.
- Liquidise the soup, then pass through a sieve into a clean pot, pressing as much liquid as possible with the back of a ladle.
- Return the soup to the heat and season to taste with salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice.
For the croutons
- Thinly slice the baguette diagonally and fry the slices in the olive oil until crisp and golden.
- Drain on kitchen paper and rub one side of each piece with the garlic clove.
To make the rouille
- Cover the slice of bread with the water and leave to soften.
- Squeeze out the excess liquid and put the bread into a food processor with the harissa, garlic, egg yolk and salt. Blend until smooth.
- With the machine still running, gradually add the oil until you have a smooth, thick, mayonnaise-like mixture.
Keeps in the fridge for at least a week.