Ingredients
- Title:Salted blue-eye
- 1 x 500g blue-eye fillet with skin on
- Rock salt
- Title:Soup
- 6 medium brown onions, finely diced
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely diced
- 150ml olive oil
- 1 tbsp sea salt
- Freshly ground white pepper
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 litre chicken stock
- 1 litre milk
- 1/2 medium brown onion
- 2 garlic cloves, squashed with flat of knife blade
- 2 sprigs thyme
- 2 slices sourdough bread, torn and oven-toasted until golden
- 1/2 bunch flat-leaf parsley, picked, washed and shredded
- Extra virgin olive oil
Method
Begin three days ahead. Cover the blue-eye with rock salt so no skin or flesh is exposed. Cover and place in the fridge for two days. After two days, remove salt, rinse and soak fish in water overnight.
To make the soup Place the onions, garlic, olive oil, sea salt, pepper and two bay leaves in a heavy-based saucepan, cook over gentle heat for about 45 minutes, stirring well to prevent catching until onions are almost melting into each other and are slightly brown in colour. Add chicken stock and simmer for 20 minutes. Adjust seasoning if necessary.
Place blue-eye, milk, 1/2 a brown onion, remaining bay leaf, squashed garlic and thyme in a saucepan so the fish is covered in milk. Bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer for five minutes and then remove from the heat. Allow to cool, enough to handle. Place blue-eye in a bowl and break into chunks, discard skin and any dark-coloured flesh. Discard milk mixture.
To serve
Divide fish pieces evenly between four soup bowls. Ladle over soup. Garnish with bread, parsley and a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
