Gent's Waterzooi

Preparation:

Preparation: Cut the fish fillets into chunks and sprinkle them with a little salt and plenty of freshly ground pepper. Melt the butter in a saucepan of about 30 cm in diameter, add the vegetables cut into strips and the onion cut into thin slices and let them fry over moderate heat for 5-6 minutes. Add the white wine and let it cook, still on low heat, for 3-4 minutes. Also add the fish fumet and cook for another 3-4 minutes. At this point, also put the fish pulp and the bouquet garni into the saucepan, bring to the boil and cook over moderate heat for a couple of minutes, then remove the fish and vegetables from the saucepan, using a slotted spoon, and keep everything in heat. Reduce the cooking liquid by half and, if necessary, adjust the salt. At the end, remove the bouquet garni and tie the stock with the egg yolks and cream mixed together. Heat everything over moderate heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, finally sprinkle with the chopped parsley and remove from the heat. Arrange the fish and vegetables in four (or six) individual bowls, pour over the soup and serve with oven-toasted slices of bread. --- ADVICE. It is a traditional soup of Flemish gastronomy. In the past it was prepared only with freshwater fish, while today sea fish is also used. There are countless variations of this recipe, which can be used, depending on the case, as a soup or as a ragù, in fact the term 'waterzooi' really means 'ragu'. All the versions share the type of preparation, with the vegetables browned in butter and the addition of a mixture of cream and egg yolks to bind the cooking juices. Furthermore, an essential requirement for the success of this dish, regardless of the version chosen, is the use of very fresh fish.