Portuguese Fish Soup (Sopa de peixe)

Make fish stock: wash sea bream bones and heads under cold tap, cut into big pieces and put into saucepan. Chop celery into one inch slices add to the saucepan. Take a few stalks of thyme, tie with a bit of string and add to the saucepan then just barely cover with cold water. Simmer for about an hour then drain through a sieve to generate at least 1½ pints of stock.

Peel and chop shallots, peel and finely chop garlic, add to a large heavy bottomed saucepan along with a couple of tablespoonfuls of olive oil. Simmer slowly for about 15 minutes stirring from time to time until soft.

Meanwhile put tomatoes into boiling water, take out, peel, cut into two, discard pips and add to slallots Put over low heat, mash a bit, cover and simmer for two or three minutes minutes, uncover, season with salt and pepper and a pinch of sugar if necessary. Mash a bit more.

Add two pinches of saffron, a teaspoon of hot smoked paprika, and stir well. Then add the fish stock, two glasses of white wine and simmer for ten minutes or so.

Add a couple of of big handfuls of the pasta and simmer for seven minutes or so stirring from time to time. Meanwhile use a paring knife to remove the skin from the sea bream fillets and cut them into one inch wide strips  Picture  . Then add strips to the saucepan and gently simmer for about another five minutes or so. Re-season with salt and pepper.

Carefully spoon out the soup into serving bowls making sure the fish is not mashed. Sprinkle over some chopped coriander and enjoy  Zoom