Ingredients
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2 Tbsp (30 g) Butter
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1 Tbsp Olive Oil
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1 Onion
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1 Leeks
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½ tsp Fennel Seeds
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2 Garlic
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a good pinch of Saffron
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⅔ cup (150 ml) White Wine
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4¼ cups (1 litre) good Fish Stock
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2 Tbsp Tomato Puree
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1 floury Potatoes
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scant ½ cup (100 ml) Sour Cream
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7 oz (200 g) boneless Salmon
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7 oz (200 g) boneless Herring
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1 lb (450 g) Mussels
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a large bunch of Dill
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Sea Salt
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freshly ground Black Pepper
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Aioli
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well-buttered Rye Bread
Directions
Stockholmers know their seafood: unsurprising when you tot up the miles of sprawling coastline the archipelago boasts. They also know their soup again, hardly a shock that soup should form part of the survival strategy for enduring austere Scandic noir winters. This is my Frankensoup, pieced together from the memory of the fish soups I tried when I was out there. It may not be exact, but it’s pretty tasty anyway, and if you can’t find fresh herring (don’t try it with marinated herring – it makes the soup unpleasantly vinegary), feel free to use mackerel instead.
Steps
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1
Done
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Heat a large saucepan over low heat and add the butter and oil. Once the butter has melted, add the onion, leek, fennel seeds and garlic and sauté gently for 10 minutes until everything is well softened. |
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2
Done
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Meanwhile, put the saffron in a small bowl with a splash of warm water and set aside to soak. |
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3
Done
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Add the white wine to the saucepan and turn up the heat to medium–high. Continue to cook for a few minutes until almost all the liquid has evaporated. Pour in the fish stock and stir in the tomato purée and potato cubes. Bring the liquid to the boil, then lower the heat to a gentle simmer and leave to bubble away for about 20 minutes, or until the potato is tender. |
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4
Done
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Once the potato is cooked, and with the heat still quite low, add the soured cream, stirring in well until it is fully incorporated. Add the saffron and its soaking water, along with the salmon, herring and mussels, pop the lid back on the pan and cook for about 4 minutes, until all the fish is just cooked through and the mussels have opened. Stir in the dill and season to taste with salt and pepper. |
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5
Done
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Ladle the soup into 4 warmed bowls (discarding any mussels that haven’t opened as you go) and top each bowl with a dollop of aïoli. Serve with plenty of buttered rye bread on the side. |
