Ray McVinnies’ Brazilian Fish Soup

Ingredients

Serves 4 – 6 guests Dressing ingredients:

150g cherry tomatoes
4 large cloves garlic, peeled
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
large pinch chili flakes
½ cup roasted hazelnuts, skins rubbed off
1 bought char-grilled red capsicum
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

Soup ingredients:

6 tablespoons NZ extra virgin olive oil
1 medium sized onion, finely chopped
1 small carrot, diced 1cm
1 stick celery, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons finely chopped ginger
large pinch chilli flake
5cm piece fresh turmeric, peeled and finely chopped
400g can chopped tomatoes in juice
500ml chicken stock
12 live green lipped mussels, well scrubbed, beards removed
400g skinned, boned firm white fish fillets, cut into 10cm pieces
24 scallops
75ml coconut cream
1 red chilli thinly sliced
Coriander sprigs and lime halves for serving

Method

Dressing:

tablespoon of the oil and rub all over the tomatoes and garlic.
Sprinkle the chili flakes over everything and mix well.
Place in the oven for 10 minutes or until the tomatoes are collapsing and the garlic browned and soft.
Remove from the oven, cool and place everything in a food processor with the hazelnuts, capsicum, the remaining 3 tablespoons of the oil and the vinegar.
Blend to a coarse paste, taste and season with salt. Reserve.

Fish soup:

Heat 4 tablespoons of the oil over moderate heat and add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, ginger, chili flakes and turmeric.
Fry gently for 10 minutes or until the onion is soft.
Add the tomatoes and stock, mix well, bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes.
Add the mussels and let them open, removing them as they do to a large bowl.
Let them cool and remove the shells and then pull the brown tongue and its white root from each mussel. Reserve.
Taste the broth, season with salt if necessary and keep at a low simmer.
Meanwhile, toss the fish and scallops with the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and pan fry over high until just cooked and browned.
Remove the fish and scallops to a large, warm serving bowl and add the mussels.
Bring the broth back to the boil.
Pour the broth over the fish and mussels.
Drizzle the coconut cream over everything

Plating Up

Sprinkle the chilli and coriander on top and serve with lime halves for squeezing. Serve the dressing in a bowl on the side. Each person puts a dollop of dressing on their soup before eating.

Chef Ray McVinnie

Ray McVinnie is a renown chef with a passion for cooking seafood. He has published cook books including ‘Cooking the Catch’ and was guest judge on NZ Masterchef.

Wine Match

Peter Yealands Pinot Noir 2018

Lifted notes of cherries and ripe red berries with toasty aromas and savoury spice. The juicy, red fruit flavours lead into a supple palate, with soft tannins. This vegan friendly Pinot Noir won silver at Mundus Vini 2018.

Whitianga Scallop Festival, Whitianga, New Zealand

New Zealands Whitianga Scallop festival is an annual festival in the seaside Coromandel Town that is a celebration of local seafood and cuisine. A popular event hosting 5000 guests which sells out each year, people come from all over Australasia, drawn in by the delicious scallops and seafood on offer.