Fish stew & rouille on toast

Ingredients

For the rouille

• ½ slice of bread, crusts removed
• 2 tbsp hot fish stock or water
• 1 garlic clove
• A pinch of saffron
• 2 egg yolks
• ½ tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 tsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 100ml extra virgin olive oil

For the fish stew

• 2 onions
• 2 fennel bulbs
• Oil or butter, to sauté
• 2 garlic gloves, crushed
• 150ml fish stock
• 100ml white wine
• 1 tin of chopped tomatoes
• 4 fish fillets of your choice
• 4 king prawns
• Chopped parsley, to garnish

Method

Soak the bread in the hot stock or water. While that is soaking, peel the garlic clove and crush in a pestle and mortar with a good pinch of salt until it becomes a paste. Add the soaked bread and saffron, and pound again to a paste. Transfer to a mixing bowl and whisk in the egg yolks, cayenne, vinegar and mustard. Then slowly whisk in the oil, adding it bit by bit. Taste for seasoning.

To make the fish stew, slice the onions and fennel bulbs. Heat the oil or butter in a large sauté pan, and gently cook the vegetables for 15 mins. Add the garlic and cook for 5 mins. Pour in the fish stock, white wine and chopped tomatoes. Simmer for 5 mins. Cut the fish fillets into chunks and slide into the pan. Cook for 5 mins, until opaque. Finish with the king prawns fried in oil, chopped parsley, and the rouille thickly spread on toast.

Image: Kim Lightbody