The secret behind this soup is the quality of the stock you use. As fish stock is something we don’t regularly make, I would recommend buying it from a fish shop or using a light chicken stock to replace it. Bourride is a silky, clear fish soup flavoured with aioli. Finished with a garnish of herbs, it is a Provencal specialty. This is Danny Rose’s recipe. This is served as a first course.

Serves 4

Ingredients:
6 cups fish or chicken stock  

1 medium carrot, peeled and sliced on a bias into 1-inch pieces

½ small fennel bulb, died in half-inch pieces

8 clams

1 tsp finely chopped fresh parsley

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Pinch of saffron

4 2-oz (60g) pieces sea bass fillet per person  

8 mussels

4 large shrimp

1 cup Le Cou Cou Aioli (recipe follows)

¼ cup small croutons

1 tbsp finely chopped parsley

1 tsp finely chopped chervil

Bring stock to boil in a medium pot. Add the carrots and fennel and simmer until crisp tender, about 5 minutes. Add clams and steam until opened, about 4 minutes, then remove from broth and keep warm in a covered dish. Add mussels and steam until opened, about 3 minutes, then remove from broth and keep warm. Add shrimp and simmer for 3 minutes, or until pink and remove to covered dish. Finally, add fish fillets and simmer 3 minutes or until the fish is barely cooked.  

Divide seafood and fish into four bowls, top with broth and serve with aioli garnished with croutons, parsley and chervil.

Le Coucou Aioli

A mellower aioli, which I now serve with many things. It keeps a week in the refrigerator.

Ingredients:
7 medium garlic cloves  

½ cup milk

1 small red potato, peeled and cooked, about 3 oz (75 g)

1 egg yolk

1 tbsp sherry vinegar

Salt and freshly ground pepper  

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

½ tsp lemon juice

Place unpeeled garlic cloves in a small pot. Cover with milk and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and peel cloves. Remove germ, the green strand in the middle of the clove, if it is there and finely chop garlic.

With a blender or food processor combine potato and egg yolk, garlic and sherry vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. With machine running slowly, pour in olive oil. Turn machine off and stir in lemon juice to taste.