Clear Fish Stew

Clean and gut the fish (if you bought it whole). If you have a fish fillet, you can leave it whole or cut it into several pieces.

Make the vegetable broth. In a dry skillet over medium heat, cook half the chopped carrot, celery root, onion and parsley root until they have browned a little. Transfer the vegetables to a large stockpot and add enough water to submerge them. Bring to a simmer and cook over medium heat for about 30 minutes. Add the bay leaves and allspice.

Using a box grater, shred the tomatoes and discard their skins. Sautee the shredded tomatoes in the same skillet you used to brown the vegetables. Add the butter to the tomatoes and cook them until the liquid evaporates and you are left with a thick and fragrant tomato paste.

Add the cognac to the tomato paste and keep sauteing until the alcohol cooks off. Add the cooked tomato paste to the vegetable broth.

Chop the potatoes into medium-sized pieces. Cut the remaining carrots into medium-sized circles. Add them to the broth.

Cut the leaves off the parsley bunch. Set them aside and tie up the springs with a bit of butchers’ twine to make a bouquet garni. Add it to the vegetable broth.

Add the fish to the broth, along with a teaspoon of dried coriander seeds. Keep cooking it for about 20 minutes, then salt to taste and remove from the heat.

Remove the onion halves and celery root from the broth – if you leave them in, their taste may become too overpowering. You can also remove the fish pieces and transfer them to a plate. This way it’ll be easier to remove all the bones.

Serve the stew garnished with the parsley leaves, some freshly ground pepper and some minced garlic.