Saveur

Photo: Andre Baranowski

1⁄4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 small carrots (1 chopped, 3 thinly sliced)
8 black peppercorns
4 sprigs flat-leaf parsley
4 sprigs dill
2 leeks (white parts only), thickly sliced
crosswise and washed
2 ribs celery, roughly chopped
2 bay leaves
1⁄2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 1⁄2 cups white wine
1 lb. fish bones, such as snapper, rinsed
1 salmon head (about 1 lb.), gills
removed
3 medium yukon gold potatoes, peeled
and cut into 1⁄4" chunks
1 lb. skinless boneless salmon filet, cut
into 1" cubes
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
Kosher salt and freshly ground black
pepper, to taste
4 scallions, thinly sliced on the diagonal

1. Heat the olive oil in a 6-quart pot over medium-high heat. Add chopped carrots, peppercorns, parsley, dill, leeks, celery, bay leaves, and pepper flakes and cook until vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes. Add 6 cups water, wine, snapper bones, and salmon head and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, skimming off any froth that rises to the surface, for 35 minutes. Strain the broth through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl. Discard the solids.

2. Wipe out the pot and add the broth along with the remaining carrots and potatoes. Bring to a boil, covered, over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, until potatoes and carrots are tender, about 25 minutes.

3. Add salmon to soup; simmer until just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Add lemon juice and season generously with salt and pepper. Divide soup between bowls; garnish with the scallions.

SERVES 6

This article was first published in Saveur in Issue #112