Bergen fish soup

Ingredients

Stock

• 1 kgfish bones and heads, from white fish
• 2 litreswater
• 1onion, halved
• 1leek, roughly chopped
• 1bay leaf
• 10white peppercorns
• a few parsley stalks

Vegetables

• 2carrots, in fine matchsticks
• 1small celeriac, in fine matchsticks
• 1leek, in fine rings
• 1parsnip, in matchsticks, optional

Soup

• 40 gbutter
• 40 gplain flour
• 300 mldouble cream
• 2egg yolks
• 3 tablespoonssoured cream
• 2 tablespoonswhite wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoonsugar
• salt and white pepper

Fish

• 600 gfirm white fish fillet, in chunks
• 200 gsalmon, in chunks, optional
• chopped chives, to finish

Directions

1. Remove the gills from any heads with scissors. Rinse everything thoroughly under cold water. Put the bones in a large pot with the cold water. Add the onion, leek, bay leaf and peppercorns. Add the parsley stalks as well. Bring it slowly toward a simmer. Skim the grey foam off as it rises. Careful skimming keeps the stock clear.
2. Simmer it gently for twenty-five minutes only. Fish stock turns bitter if cooked much longer. Strain it through a fine sieve into a clean pot. Discard the bones and aromatics. Preparing the vegetables takes real knife work.
3. Cut the carrot and celeriac into fine matchsticks. Cut the leek into very fine rings. It also means they cook in a few minutes. Melt the butter in a heavy pot. Stir in the flour and cook it for two minutes. Do not let the roux colour at all. Add a ladleful at a time, whisking hard after each. Bring the pot to a gentle simmer. Let it cook for about ten minutes.
4. Add the carrot and celeriac to the simmering soup. Give them about four minutes there. Add the leek and give it two minutes more. They should stay slightly firm and bright.
5. Cut the fish into generous chunks. Never let the pot boil from this point. Simmer it for four or five minutes only. The fish should just turn opaque. Take the pot right off the heat. Whisk the egg yolks with the soured cream. Add a ladleful of hot soup to that mixture.
6. Whisk it in thoroughly to temper it. Adding cold yolks straight to hot soup curdles them. Stir in the double cream as well. The soup must not boil again after this. Add the vinegar and the sugar. Stir them through and then taste it. It should be creamy with a clear sharpness behind it.
7. Adjust both until the balance feels right. Season it with salt and white pepper. Serving it is done hot in deep bowls. Ladle it carefully so the fish stays whole. Scatter chopped chives over each bowl. Serve good bread and butter alongside. It does not reheat well because of the egg. Make only as much as you will eat. The stock alone keeps three days refrigerated.

Technique

• Bryggen, the old Hanseatic wharf in Bergen, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and was the centre of the Norwegian dried cod trade.
• The sweet and sour finish is characteristic of the Bergen version and distinguishes it from other Norwegian fish soups.

Substitutions

• Bought fish stock can be used, though a homemade one is noticeably better.
• Any firm white fish works, and cod, haddock and pollock are all suitable.

Variations

• Some versions add prawns or mussels alongside the fish.
• A simpler version leaves out the egg yolk and relies on cream alone.
• Fiskesuppe elsewhere in Norway is often made without the sweet and sour note.

History

Creamy fish soup from the Hanseatic port of Bergen, where German merchants ran the dried cod trade from the Bryggen wharf for four centuries.

Frequently asked questions

What is Bergen fish soup?

Bergen fish soup is a soup & stew from Norway: creamy white fish soup with root vegetables, Bergen style. Creamy fish soup from the Hanseatic port of Bergen, where German merchants ran the dried cod trade from the Bryggen wharf for four centuries.

How long does Bergen fish soup take to make?

Bergen fish soup takes 30 minutes of preparation and 45 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 6. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Bergen fish soup?

Yes, within limits. Bought fish stock can be used, though a homemade one is noticeably better. Any firm white fish works, and cod, haddock and pollock are all suitable.

What is the most important thing to get right in Bergen fish soup?

Cut the carrot and celeriac into fine matchsticks. Cut the leek into very fine rings. It also means they cook in a few minutes. Melt the butter in a heavy pot. Stir in the flour and cook it for two minutes. Do not let the roux colour at all. Add a ladleful at a time, whisking hard after each. Bring the pot to a gentle simmer. Let it cook for about ten minutes.