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.

RED SNAPPER AND CEPES IN A PORT REDUCTION

Steps:

• 1. Bring the port to a boil in a medium-size heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Lower the heat slightly and simmer until reduced to 1 cup (if using a gas stove, never let the flames extend above the bottom edge of the pan). Add the vinegar and simmer until reduced almost to a syrup consistency, lowering the heat as necessary to keep the sauce from burning around the edges-you should have about 7 tablespoons. (The sauce can be made to this point up to 1 week ahead; cover and refrigerate.)
• 2. Divide 1 tablespoon of corn oil between the 2 skillets and place over high heat until the oil is just smoking. Divide the cepes, thyme, and garlic between the skillets and lower the heat to medium. Sauté until browned, about 4 minutes. Turn the heat to low and divide the shallot and 2 tablespoons of butter between the skillets. Season both with salt and pepper. Cook until the shallot is softened and the cepes are tender, about 6 minutes more. Discard the garlic and thyme and combine the mixtures. (The cepes can be made to his point up to 1 day ahead; cover and refrigerate).
• 3. Season both sides of the snapper with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the five-spice powder over the skin and rub it into the fish. Clean the skillets and divide the remaining 2 tablespoons of corn oil between them. Place both over high heat until the oil is just smoking. Add the snapper to the skillets, skin side down, and briefly hold the fillets down with a spatula to prevent the skin from shrinking. Sauté until the bottom of the fillets are dark and crusted, about 5 minutes. Turn and cook for about 5 minutes longer, until a metal skewer inserted into the fish for 5 seconds is met with medium resistance and feels warm when touched to your lip. Keep the fillets warm.
• 4. Meanwhile, reheat the mushrooms. Bring the sauce to a boil over high heat. Cut the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter in to 1/2-inch pieces. Lift the saucepan a few inches above the heat and add the butter. Shake the pan back and forth until the butter is melted and incorporated into the sauce; this will take about 3 minutes. Do not stir or whisk the butter into the sauce. The sauce will be very shiny and clear.
• 5. To serve, stir the chives into the mushrooms and arrange them in the center of 4 large plates. Top with the snapper. Drizzle the sauce around the mushrooms and serve immediately.

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.

BRETON FISH SOUP

Steps:

• Wash the leeks thoroughly, and cut the whites only into 1" rounds.
• Peel the potatoes, and cut them into chunks to fit a soup spoon.
• Skin the tomatoes, and deseed them.
• Dice the celery heart into small pieces.
• Put the above ingredients into a soup pan with 1 quart of water. Add the salt, pepper, thyme, and bay leaf.
• Bring to the boil, then simmer for 25 minutes.
• Discard the thyme and the bay leaf.
• Clean the fish, skin it and fillet it carefully. Cut into chunks.
• Add the fish to the vegetables and broth, and simmer this over very low heat for 15 minutes.
• Beat the egg yolk with the cream in a bowl.
• Add some of the broth to this, mix it around, and put the whole lot into the soup pan.
• Keep over very low heat, and stir until the broth thickens somewhat.
• Don't boil it!