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1
Fry garlic, carrots, onion, and leeks or possibly shallots in extra virgin olive oil very slowly for 15 min.
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2
Add in a sprig of thyme and a bay leaf.
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3
Put in fish and fry gently for 3 min.
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4
Heat cognac, pour it over fish and vegetables, light it, and let flames die.
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5
Pour in 10 c. water, let it come to a boil over fairly high flame and boil slowly for 15 min.
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6
While it boils, open the mussels in a saucepan over moderate heat with a little water.
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7
Strain juice through a kitchen towel and add in it to the fish and vegetables.
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8
Remove mussels from shell and set aside.
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9
Cut or possibly tear the white part of three slices of bread into small bits.
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10
Strain the soup into another saucepan, add in the bits of bread, and cook it in the soup 10 min more.
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11
Separate all the fish meat from the bones.
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12
Strain the soup a second time, forcing undissolved bits of bread through strainer.
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13
Season with salt and pepper.
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14
Simmer fish meat and shelled mussels in the soup for 5 min before serving; add in butter just before removing from fire, stir to mix, and serve very warm.
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15
Comments: The quality of fish soup depends on the quality of the fish.
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16
The above way of preparing it is Basque, but the kind of fish used can be varied according to what is locally available.
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17
You might use a head of hake, some crabs, and a few crayfish.
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18
Or possibly you might use, as suggested above, mussels, rockfish, and sea bass.
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19
All fish and shellfish must be cleaned, but the heads, bones, and shelfish carcasses (all of that are strained out afterward) are cooked in the soup to give it flavor.
