Fumet For Le Bernardin Fish Soup Recipes

LE BERNARDIN FISH SOUP

Steps:

• In a large, wide stockpot set over medium heat, add olive oil. Add smashed garlic, onion, celery, carrot, fennel, bay leaf, star anise, fennel seeds, saffron threads, orange peel, parsley sprigs, tomato paste, diced tomatoes, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are soft and begin to caramelize, about 15 minutes.
• Add wine, and stir with a wooden spoon, scraping up any bits from the bottom of the pot. Reduce heat to low, and simmer until almost all the wine evaporates, about 1 1/2 minutes. Add fish fumet, and simmer for about 20 minutes.
• Add fish; simmer for 20 minutes more, pressing on the fish often with the back of a wooden spoon to break up the flesh. Continue to simmer until fish is in very small pieces, about 20 minutes more.
• Transfer the soup to a food mill fitted with a fine disk placed over a large bowl, and pass the soup through. Return the soup to the cleaned stockpot.
• Over high heat, bring the soup to a boil, whisking frequently to prevent the bottom from scalding. Season with cayenne pepper, salt, and white pepper to taste.
• Toast baguette slices, and rub each one with the garlic clove. Distribute the soup evenly among six bowls. Place a baguette slice in each bowl of soup; the bread should float directly in the soup. Sprinkle the baguette and soup generously with cheese, and serve.

FUMET FOR LE BERNARDIN FISH SOUP

Steps:

• If you are preparing the fish yourself, remove the gills and the eyes. Cut the heads and bones across into 4-inch pieces. In a shallow pan filled with cold water, add the heads and bones. Cover, and let stand for 1 hour, changing the water twice.
• In a large stockpot set over medium heat, add corn oil, onions, fennel, leeks, peppercorns, salt, parsley, and bay leaves. Reduce the heat to medium low, and cook until the vegetables are soft but not browned, about 4 minutes.
• Transfer heads and bones from water to the stockpot; discard water. Stir periodically until bones and flesh around bones turn from translucent to white, about 12 minutes.
• Add the wine and 6 cups of water; bring to a boil over high heat. Boil fumet 10 minutes, skimming off the foam as it rises to the top. Remove from heat; let rest for 10 minutes.
• Strain the fumet through a fine-mesh sieve or chinois, pressing firmly on the solids to extract as much of the flavorful liquid as possible. If you have more than 6 cups of fumet, place the liquid in a clean saucepan over high heat, and boil until it reduces to 6 cups. Store, tightly covered, in the refrigerator up to 3 days, or in the freezer up to 2 months.