Here’s the recipe for fish waterzooi, a traditional hearty soup straight from the city of Ghent. It’s typically made with chicken or fish. We’ve chosen the seafood version—we just love it so much!
Prep time: 30 minutes | Cook time: 1 hour | Serves 4
Ingredients
- 1.5 kg of fish (turbot, sole, monkfish, cod, brill, salmon, etc.)
- 0.5 L of mussels
- 10 large pink shrimp
- 2 onions
- 2 stalks of celery
- 2 white parts of leeks
- 3 carrots
- 50 g butter
- 20 cl crème fraîche
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 bouquet garni
- 5 black peppercorns
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 sage leaves
- Parsley
- Chervil
- Half a lemon
- Salt
- Pepper
- Slices of toasted bread (for serving)
Recipe
Get the fish trimmings (from the fishmonger) for the stock. Place them in a large pot of water with a peeled onion, pepper, 1 carrot cut into rounds, parsley, bay leaf, and 1 tablespoon of coarse salt . Add the shrimp shells.
Bring to a boil and cook for 30 minutes. Strain and set aside.
Clean the fish fillets and mussels. Cook the mussels in a large pot until they open. Peel the shrimp.
Wash and peel the vegetables. Thinly slice the carrots, leeks, celery, and onions.
Melt 25 g of butter in a casserole dish, add the vegetables, sage, salt, and pepper. Pour in 20 cl of fish stock and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes.
Wash, pat dry, and cut the fish into pieces. Place in a saucepan with the cooled fish stock. Add the remaining butter, cover, and let simmer for 10 minutes.
Drain the vegetables and fish. Set aside with the mussels and shrimp. Remove the herbs, strain the broth, and reduce it.
In a bowl, mix the egg yolks with the cream, then stir in a ladleful of broth to thin the mixture. Gradually stir this mixture into the broth , then heat the fish, mussels, shrimp, and vegetables over low heat. Season to taste.
Serve drizzled with lemon juice, sprinkled with chopped chervil, and accompanied by slices of toasted bread.
Ready to enjoy your authentic fish waterzooi? Bon appétit!
