It is week 7 of the Sunday Slow Soupers ~ a group of Slow Travel members cooking soup and blogging together every Sunday. This week’s soup is Fish Soup selected by Cindy at Baked Alaska.

I knew from the ingredients this was going to be great. We love fish, tomatoes, fennel and Mediterranean spices. Plus it is so simple. I didn’t have any of the Dean and Deluca Herbs for fishbut looking at the Dean and Delucca mix on-line, I realized I had all the dried herbs in house. So I mixed pinches of dried summer savory, thyme, fennel seed, sage leaf, marjoram, parsley and bay leaf. I crushed them together and added them to the tomato mixture. Perfect.

There is so much you can do to vary this soup. I decided to make it a little bit more like a bouillabaisse by adding a little bit of saffron and red pepper. Next time I make this soup, I’m going to use shellfish in addition to the white fish and a dash of Pernod along with more saffron and red pepper. Hmmmm… and maybe some rouille.The other variation is to go more like cioppino and use red wine, crab and spices. Any way you make this soup – it is great. Thanks Cindy.

Cindy’s Fish Soup

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 small head fennel, tops discarded, and bulb chopped
¼ cup wine (can be white or red, whatever you have open, or you can skip this altogether)
2 teaspoons fish seasoning (I use Dean & Deluca brand. If you can’t find, you could substitute Herbs de Provence)
1 15.5 oz can diced tomatoes
2 5.5 oz can spicy V-8 juice
1 pound firm white fish such as halibut, cod, or rockfish, cut into 1” cubes
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion, fennel, and garlic, and sauté until soft, about 10-15 minutes. Add the wine, and continue cooking for a couple of minutes. Add the V-8, tomatoes, and fish seasoning. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium, and add the chopped fish. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until the fish is cooked through and the flavors have blended, about 15 minutes. Serve with slices of crusty bread that have been toasted in the oven and rubbed with a garlic clove.
Variations: If you would like a spicier soup, you can add a chopped jalapeno to the onions when sautéing, or add some red pepper flakes. I’ve also made this with the addition of potatoes, or with chopped zucchini or yellow squash if I want more veggies in add. I also sometimes season with Sherry Rum Peppers Sauce or a dash of Worcestershire sauce.