Copyright 2008-2016 Krista Davis

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If you read Mystery Lovers' Kitchen regularly, you know that I love weird recipes like Magic Peach Cobbler.  Not oddball food so much.  I'll leave the bugs and stinky things to Andrew Zimmern, but unusual methods of preparation fascinate me.  This recipe caught my eye because it involves pouring boiling liquid over the other ingredients instead of mixing everything before bringing it to a boil.  The boiling liquid works well because fish cooks quickly.  It gives you a head start on the cooking process.

I stumbled upon this recipe for fish soup ages ago.  The original recipe is long gone, but the ingredients are so simple that it's not hard to remember.  This is an ideal recipe for someone new to cooking because the only way you can goof is by overcooking it.

If memory serves, the original recipe called for boiling water to be poured over the ingredients.  I found it more flavorful if I added seafood bouillon to the water.  To my surprise, my gigantic Kroger (seriously, you don't want to forget anything because it's a long hike from one side of the store to the other) didn't have any seafood bouillon.  Plenty of chicken, beef, and vegetable bouillon, but nothing for seafood.  So this time around, I made it with chicken broth, which worked out fine, but didn't give it that additional fishy kick.

It's a very mild soup and makes a lovely light lunch or dinner.  If you're one of those people who loves spicy food, it might not be the soup for you.  On the other hand, nobody's stopping you from tossing in some jalapenos!

You can use any combination of fish that you like, which makes it at least slightly economical because you can use whatever is on special.  However, it works best with fish that hold up well to cooking.  Delicate fish that flakes very easily might not be the best choice.  Monkfish is ideal.  I used cod, monkfish, and shark.  Mixing the fish adds to the flavor and also provides different textures.

Peeling the potatoes is up to you.  I used red-skinned potatoes and left the peels on.

Three Fish Soup

1 leek

3-4 medium potatoes

1 1/2 pounds mixed fish (approximately)

6 cups chicken broth, or water and seafood bouillon

salt and pepper to taste

Pour the broth (or water and seafood bouillon) into a pot and heat to a boil.

Meanwhile, slice the firm end of the leek into slices and place in a large soup pot.  Cut the potatoes into 1/2 inch cubes and add to leek.  Slice the fish into 1 inch cubes and add to pot with leek and potatoes.

Pour the boiling liquid over the ingredients and bring everything to a boil.  Gently boil approximately 20 minutes or until the potatoes can be easily pierced with a fork and the fish is cooked through. (Do not overcook or the fish will become tough.)

Serve with crusty bread and a wedge of cheese, and enjoy!  Can be made ahead of time and reheated, but be careful not to overcook the fish.