Angler's fish soup

Ingredients

• Frames of 2 to 3 fish (heads without gills, bones, fins)
• 400 g fillets of zander, perch or pike, skinless
• 1 onion
• 2 carrots
• 1 leek
• 1 piece of celeriac (about 100 g)
• 2 waxy potatoes
• 1 bay leaf, 5 peppercorns
• 1 tbsp rapeseed oil
• 100 ml dry white wine (optional)
• 1.5 l cold water
• Salt, fresh dill

Method

1. Rinse the frames in cold water and remove the gills and any blood. Otherwise they make the stock bitter and cloudy.
2. Put the frames in a pot with the cold water, bay leaf, peppercorns and a piece each of onion, carrot and leek, and bring everything slowly to the boil.
3. Skim off the foam and let the stock simmer very gently for about 30 minutes. Longer is not worth it, otherwise it quickly tastes gluey.
4. Strain the stock through a fine sieve or a cloth. This also catches any small bones.
5. Dice the rest of the vegetables and the potatoes small and sweat them in the oil. Deglaze with white wine if you like.
6. Pour in the stock and let everything simmer for about 15 minutes, until the potatoes are soft.
7. Cut the fillets into bite-sized pieces and feel them for bones. With pike, cut out the Y-bones beforehand.
8. Turn down to a low heat and add the fish pieces. Let them poach for 4 to 5 minutes without the soup bubbling. Do not stir, otherwise they fall apart.
9. The soup is ready when the fish is no longer glassy. Season with salt and sprinkle fresh dill over it.

Tips

• A spoonful of cream or a squeeze of lemon juice at the end rounds off the soup.
• For a richer version, fry a little tomato purée and paprika with the vegetables.
• Fresh farmhouse bread or toasted garlic bread goes well with it.

Zander: profile European perch: profile Northern pike: profile