Recipe: The Lighthouse’s Tuscan Fish Broth

Published on February 27, 2014

This recipe is from Great Food Club member restaurant The Lighthouse of Kibworth Beauchamp, Leicestershire. The Lighthouse is run by Sarah Poli and her Italian husband and head chef Lino, who pride themselves on serving beautifully fresh fish. This recipe works as a hearty starter or as a meal in itself.

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Tuscan Fish Broth

For the stock
2 small onion
2 cloves garlic
2 carrots
Half a head of celery
Seasoning

For the soup
1.5k of mixed fish and seafood – look at what is available and go for the freshest, and include shellfish too, such as prawns, mussels and clams
2 small onions
Half a head of celery
2 carrots
425g tin of good plum tomatoes
1 sachet of saffron
150ml white wine
Fish stock
Fresh basil and parsley

Stock method
1 Roughly chop the carrots, celery and onions, and fry on a gentle heat, with the garlic, do not brown.
2 Add the shells and bones from the fish and seafood, cover the contents of the pan with water, and bring to the boil.
3 Skim the surface of ‘scum’ and simmer for about 20 minutes. Strain and set aside.

Soup method
1 Clean, scale and fillet the fish (if you ask your fishmonger to do this for you, then be sure to ask him for the bones, as you need them for your stock).
2 Clean mussels and clams, put in a hot pan with oil, a splash of white wine and seasoning, and keep over the heat for about five minutes until they are open. Strain and be sure to keep the juices.
3 Dice the onions, carrots and celery and cook gently in a large pan. To this add the chopped tomatoes as well as the juice from the tin.
4 Now add the white wine, fish stock, shellfish juices and saffron – this will smell amazing by now and should have a thick, dense consistency. Bring this to the boil, and simmer for 10 mins.
5 Add the pieces of fish to cook, really for not long at all! Then add shellfish and season with salt pepper, fresh chopped basil and parsley.
6 Serve with garlic bread and drizzle with olive oil.

Sarah-Lino-and-David-Feb-2013-300x203
Sarah and Lino Poli. Photo by Beth Walsh

The author:

Matt lives in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire. He is passionate about the independent food & drink sector and founded Great Food Club in 2010 after being inspired by local producers near his home town.