Parsley soup with trout fillets

This is an extremely interesting soup.  One normally thinks of parsley as being a garnish or a herb to add a bit of flavour.  It does, however, make the basis of a lovely soup.

The interest is intensified by the bits of trout dropped into the soup.

Preparation Time: 15 Mins

Cooking Time: 25 Mins

Total Time: 40 Mins

Ingredients

For 4 servings…

1 tbs               Olive oil    

1                    Leek  - chopped roughly         

150 gms           Parsley  - leaves and stalks separate       

1 tbs               Flour        

1 l                  Stock  - fish, hot       

                     Pepper      

                     Salt          

200 gms           Trout  - fillet

Method

To cook the soup…

Over a medium heat, gently cook the leek in the oil for a couple of minutes.  Roughly cut the stalks from the bunch of parsley and then add them to the leek.  Stir in the flour.  Cook for half a minute stirring continuously until the flour cooks and starts to coat the leeks.  Gradually stir in the fish stock and keep stirring to avoid any lumps.  Season, turn down the heat and simmer for about 15 minutes until thickened.  Add the parsley leaves and simmer for 30 seconds more.  Leave to cool briefly for 5 minutes.

Transfer the parsley soup to a food processor and until smooth.  Re-season to taste.

To cook the trout…

Meanwhile, poach a 150-200g trout fillet in salted boiling water for about 5 minutes until just cooked.

Remove the trout from the cooking water and put on to a plate.  Carefully peel the skin away from the

trout flesh.  Remove any bones and break the flesh into pieces.

To serve…

Serve the soup hot or cold in soup bowls with the pieces of trout dropped in.

Wine recommendations

          A robust white wine.

  Conventional

           Côtes du Rhône blanc

  Interesting

           Côtes du Luberon blanc

           Graves blanc

           Saint Joseph blanc

  Special

           Condrieu