French-style fish head soup recipe

Prepare this hearty French-style soup the peasant way, head and all. Ensure you remove the gills from the fish. They make the soup taste bitter.

Ingredients

1 Tbsp	Olive oil
1	Onion, chopped
1	Carrot, chopped
1 stalk	Celery, chopped
1 tsp	Fennel seeds
1	Bay leaf
3 sprigs	Thyme
3 sprigs	Parsley
3 cloves	Garlic, finely chopped, I used smoked garlic
½ tin	Tomatoes, in juice
3	Saffron threads
150 ml	White wine, the drier the better
1 tsp	Tomato puree
1 kg	Fish heads, and skeletons (remove gills) (Main)

Heat the olive oil in a large pot and saute the chopped onion, carrot, celery and fennel seeds for about five minutes so they are fragrant and coloured.
Add the bay leaf, thyme, parsley, finely chopped garlic and tomatoes and cook for a few minutes. Add the saffron, white wine and tomato puree. Leave to cook for a few more minutes.
Add the fish head and skeleton bones, cover with water and leave to simmer for 20 minutes – no more. If you leave it longer the soup will develop a bitter taste. Leave overnight to develop the flavours if possible. Otherwise, strain through a sieve. Season with salt and pepper, then reheat and serve with cheese on toast.
Tip: To make this soup more substantial, throw in some pieces of smoked fish at the end.