Here is another South African recipe for a fish soup that’s thick enough to be served as a stew on a bed of rice. In essence it’s a red pepper (bell pepper and chilli) soup that also contains fish.
Prep time 25 minutes/Cook time 30 minutes/Serves 4
Ingredients:
4 tbsp olive oil
3 shallots, finely sliced
2 garlic cloves, finely grated
2 fresh bay leaves
3 red bell peppers, cored and diced
2 red chillies (eg jalapenos, seeds and membranes removed), finely chopped
500ml (2 cups) chicken stock
120ml (½ cup) single (light) cream
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
150g fish pieces (steaks or fillet pieces)
12 prawns (shrimp), cleaned
150g (1/3 lb) calamari tubes
Juice of 1 lemon
Method:
Place a saucepan over a medium to low heat. Add half the olive oil, the shallots, garlic and bay leaves and gently fry until golden (about 5 minutes).
Add the peppers and stock, bring to a simmer and cook for 10 to 15 minutes. Take off the heat, allow to cool slightly, then blend in a blender or with a stick blender. Stir in the cream and season to taste.
In a clean saucepan, reheat the soup. At the same time, place a pan over a high heat with the remaining olive oil and pan-fry the fish pieces for about 4 minutes. Now add the prawns and calamari with a squeeze of lemon juice cook for about 4 minutes, until the prawns are pink. Add to the soup and serve.
