Breton soup

Backstory

I have lost count of how many times I’ve heard:
“Fish soup? No, thank you!”
For many people, this dish means boiled potatoes, carrots, onions, rice, and a sad tin of salmon or saury floating somewhere in the middle. I want to show you that there are other ways — not just one or two, but many. Let me introduce you to the fish soups I cook at home at least a couple of times a month

I used to travel to France quite often but now I live here as well. I live in a wonderful part of the country, in Finistere, or French land’s end. If you’ve ever been to a French supermarket, you’ve probably seen the jars of fish soup purée in the seafood section. They’re not bad — quite tasty, actually — but I prefer fresh food and rarely use anything from a tin. Still, that very jarred soup was what inspired this recipe.

Whenever I go shopping, I can’t walk past the fish counter. I love buying whole, uncleaned fish — the fishmongers adore me for it, because they don’t have to do any work. I usually buy… well, everything, really. I love fish and seafood, and I am very lucky to be living by the Atlantic.