A traditional Sicilian fish soup featuring moray eel slow-braised in a fragrant tomato, chili, and garlic broth. A rustic, hearty dish served with crusty toasted bread.
Ingredients
- 1000 g whole moray eel (about 2.2 lb / 1 kg, gutted and scaled, skin on)
- 2 pieces yellow onion
- 4 cloves fresh garlic
- 400 g canned whole peeled tomatoes (preferably San Marzano)
- 2 pieces fresh red chili (or 1 tsp dried red pepper flakes)
- 200 ml dry white wine (such as Grillo or Vermentino)
- 500 ml fish stock (see prepared component)
- 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 leaves bay leaf
- 1 bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley
- to taste fine sea salt
- to taste freshly ground black pepper
Method
- Prepare the moray eel: rinse the whole fish under cold running water. Cut off the head and tail, then slice the body into 2 to 2 1/2 inch (5 to 6 cm) steaks. Lightly score the skin of each piece in a shallow crosshatch pattern to prevent shrinking during cooking. Chill in the refrigerator until needed.
- Peel and finely slice the onions. Peel and crush the garlic cloves with the flat of a knife, removing any green germs. Halve the fresh chilies lengthwise, remove the seeds if desired, and finely chop.
- In a large Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and a pinch of salt. Sweat for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring regularly, until translucent and lightly golden.
- Add the crushed garlic and chopped chilies. Cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Pour in the white wine, scraping the bottom of the pot to deglaze any browned bits. Simmer and reduce by half, about 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add the whole peeled tomatoes with their juices, crushing them coarsely with a spoon. Stir in the hot fish stock, bay leaves, salt, and ground black pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Take the moray eel pieces out of the refrigerator 10 minutes before cooking. Season lightly with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- After the broth has simmered for 30 minutes, taste and adjust the seasoning. Gently place the moray eel pieces into the pot in a single layer if possible, making sure they are submerged in the broth.
- Cover and cook over very low heat for 25 to 30 minutes. The flesh should flake easily from the central bone while remaining firm. Avoid stirring vigorously to keep the pieces intact.
- While the fish is simmering, wash and finely chop the fresh flat-leaf parsley. Discard the bay leaves from the broth at the end of cooking.
- Ladle the soup into shallow bowls: arrange the moray eel pieces in each portion, spoon plenty of hot broth over them, and finish with a sprinkle of chopped flat-leaf parsley.
Nutrition
Per serving
- Energy
- 289.1 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbohydrate
- 21.58 g
- Fat
- 16.59 g
- Fibre
- 6.32 g
- Calcium
- 29.11 mg
- Iron
- 1.11 mg
- Magnesium
- 15.2 mg
