An example of this little beauty was winking at me in the excellent fish shop in The Goods Shed (see below) in Canterbury today. The fisherman/fishmonger (he's both) filletted it for me and asked if we wanted the head: 'Makes great stock and soup' he said.
I am not one to waste potentially good food.
So....first I put the head and spine in the oven on a tray at 180 for 40 minutes. Then it went in a big saucepan with salt, 5 sticks of celerey (which I blended), half a bag of spinach (blended) 4 cloves of garlic, 2 bay leaves, a quartered raw onion, a quarter of a fresh lime, and a generous handful of fresh coriander. Topped up with water to cover the fish.
Meanwhile I sweated down one and a half red onions and another 4 cloves of garlick, on the hob, and put five sliced and oiled tomatoes in the oven at 180. As the fish soup gently bubbled, I waited till the tomatoes were beginning to caramelise, then decanted them in with the sweated onions which were also beginning to caramelise.
Mrs T helped me filter the bones and fins out of the fish soup then I decanted some of the suspension in with the onion and tomato, added two cloves, forgot to add cumin (next time...) and when it was bubbling added in some frozen king prawns.
Now that, my friends, was what I'd call dinner.
I have 300 ml of filtered soup left, along with the actual fillets of fish, for tomorrow.
