Bouillabaisse

Serves 4

For the mash 

1 kg floury potatoes, such as King Edward or Maris Piper, peeled and cut into even chunks 

150 ml full-fat milk or cream 

50 g butter 

2 tsp salt 

For the bouillabaisse 

5 tbsp olive oil 

2 shallots or 1 onion, roughly chopped, skin and all 

3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped, skin and all 

1 small fennel bulb, chopped 

2 whole gurnards (about 600 g total weight), filleted 

100 ml dry white wine 

500 ml Fish Stock 

2 large tomatoes, roughly chopped 

1 tbsp tomato paste 

2 strips of orange peel 

Pinch of saffron pinch 

Cayenne pepper 

250 g Falmouth bay prawns, shell on, or 6 or so cooked Langoustines, cut in half lengthways 

12 live mussels in the shell, scrubbed and debearded 

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

To make the mash, boil the potatoes in salted water for about 20 minutes until they're cooked. After draining them well and letting the steam die down, push them through a potato ricer or use a masher until smooth. Then, add milk or cream and butter, beating until the mash becomes light and smooth.

For the bouillabaisse, heat oil in a deep pan and fry shallots, garlic, fennel, gurnard heads, and bones until the vegetables soften. Next, add wine, fish stock, tomatoes, tomato paste, orange peel, and saffron. Bringing it to a boil, simmer the mixture for 30-40 minutes.

Quickly, strain the mixture through a sieve to extract the flavours, discarding the solids. rinse the pan and return the soup to heat, seasoning with cayenne, salt, and pepper. Adding gurnard fillets, prawns, and mussels, cook for a few minutes until the mussels open.

Spoon the mashed potato onto warmed plates and top them with fish, prawns, and mussels. Finally, pour over some sauce and serve immediately.