Recipe: fish soup by Yvette van Boven and Jacques Hermus
Jacques Hermus’s new cookbook, BEET!, takes you to the most amazing fishing spots in our country. Here, Jacques is fishing not only for fish, but also for stories and fish recipes from chef friends that you can find in BEET! Such as this Dutch-Irish fish soup with 5 types of fish, inspired by Yvette van Boven’s recipe.
“It is spring; rays of sunshine and showers alternate along the heartbreakingly beautiful coast of Killary Fjord, Connemara. On a narrow quay, Yvette van Boven and her friend Cliodhna Prendergast are preparing a clam chowder with fresh mussels and even more delicious fruits of the sea in a small open-air kitchen. Ireland’s west coast is an impatient and beautiful landscape, where rain showers come sweeping in fiercely, suddenly making way for a sun that shines so brightly you have to blink. From Crookhaven in southern County Cork to Béal an Mhuirthead in northern County Mayo, coastal roads wind along rugged rocks and small sandy beaches. Of course, I looked into Yvette’s cooking pot, but added a twist of my own.”
How to make Dutch-Irish fish soup
- Melt the butter in a large heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat and fry the onion, leek, carrot and potatoes until the vegetables are soft. Add the flour and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Slowly stir in the white wine, followed by the fish stock. Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the salmon fillet, haddock, whiting fillet and prawns and simmer for another 10 minutes. Add the mussels and allow them to heat through. Stir in the cream and season with salt and pepper.
- Ladle the soup into preheated bowls, making sure everyone has some of each type of fish in their bowl. Sprinkle parsley and dill over each bowl. Serve with Irish brown soda bread (recipe in Yvette’s Irish book Home Sweet Home) and butter. A full-bodied white wine is suitable, or, for the adventurous, whiskey or poitín.
Title: BEET!
Author: Jacques Hermus
Price: €22.50
Publisher: Nijgh & van Ditmar
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