Spicy fish soup with tomatoes and orange zest

There are many variations of fish soup in the South of Italy, but this zuppa di pesce piccante con pomodori e scorzetta di arance has to be my favourite because the flavour of the red mullet makes it unique.

Credit: Haarala Hamilton / Bloomsbury

• serves

  4

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  40 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

• ¼ cup (60 ml) olive oil
• 1 tsp chilli flakes
• 1 large red onion, finely chopped
• 200 ml white wine
• 600 ml hot fish stock
• 400 g can chopped tomatoes
• 16 large raw prawns, completely peeled
• 300 g skinless red mullet fillet, cut in 3 cm chunks
• 300 g skinless haddock fillet, cut in 3 cm chunks
• 10 red cherry tomatoes, halved
• ¼ cup chopped flat leaf parsley
• 1 unwaxed orange
• salt

Instructions

1. Pour the oil into a medium-sized saucepan and place over a medium heat. Add the chilli flakes and the onion and fry for 6 minutes, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon.
2. Increase the heat to high and pour in the wine, then bring to the boil and let it bubble for 2 minutes, allowing the alcohol to evaporate. Stir in the stock and canned tomatoes, season with 2 tsp salt and return to the boil once more. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Meanwhile, devein the prawns with the point of a knife, skewer or even a toothpick. The vein runs right along the back. Insert the point about 1cm down from the head of the prawn and pull it back up towards you. This will lift up the vein and you can pull it off with the knife or with your hand.
4. Add all the fish and the prawns to the saucepan, then stir very gently so you don’t break up the fish. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring very gently after about 5 minutes.
5. Stir in the cherry tomatoes and parsley and continue to simmer for 1 minute.
6. Remove from the heat and divide equally between 4 warmed bowls. Grate orange zest over each bowl and serve immediately.

Note

• Ask your fishmonger to prepare the fish for you, but do rinse it under cold water when you come to make the dish and run your fingers along each chunk, as red mullet in particular do have a lot of bones.

• If you prefer, you can substitute the haddock with cod.  You can use other fish such as snapper in place of red mullet 

Recipe and image from Gino's Italy: Like Mamma Used to Make by Gino D'Acampo (Bloomsbury, HB $44.99)

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.