‘Twas a cold and drizzly Southern California autumn day. As the mercury plunged into the mid-60s and I watched the fog crawling around in the canyon, my mind turned to soup.
I descended into the even more frigid depths of my freezer, looking for inspiration. Then, like an ice fisherman lifting a catch from a hole in a frozen lake, I pulled up a rock-hard filet of Atlantic cod. And the soup was on!
There are many directions you can go with a piece of frozen fish and a hankering for soup — a bit of coconut milk and lemongrass, for example, and you’ve got a nice Thai soup, or some fish stock, tomato and saffron, and you’re transported to a bistro in Marseilles. This particular afternoon, I was feeling something a little closer to my own roots.
I recall many years ago, driving around Ireland with my pal Dan. Oft a rainy afternoon we ducked into the nearest pub, looking for a bowl of warm soup. I don’t recall exactly whether we ever had a soup like this one — that was a lot of Guinness under the Ha’penny Bridge ago. But as I was stirring the soup, the scent of fish, thyme and cream brought the Emerald Isle to mind.
Yer man, out on the turf in Co. Donegal
Critical to the success of my lunch was a loaf of crusty bread I had in the freezer, and some genuine Irish Kerrygold butter. Thick slices of the delicious bread slathered liberally with creamy Irish butter made for the golden dip sticks. If you make yourself Irish fish soup for lunch some cold afternoon, don’t skip this part.
As they say on the Isle: Ná déan deramad ar do lón! … “Don’t forget your lunch!”
And:
La brea ata ann d’anraith! … “It is a lovely day for soup!”
(Somebody correct my Gaelic, pleasssse!)
* * *
Irish fish soup
serves 4-8
2 quarts chicken or fish stock
1 lb. cod, halibut or other white fish, cut into small cubes
2 tbsp. butter
1 onion, chopped
2 oz. bacon, diced
1 tbsp. flour
2 medium gold potatoes, cut into small cubes
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tsp. thyme
1 bay leaf
salt & pepper to taste
crusty bread
Kerrygold unsalted butter
Melt the butter in a soup pot or saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and chopped onion and cooking, stirring frequently, until onion is translucent and beginning to caramelize — probably around 5 minutes.
Add the flour and the potatoes, and cook, continuing to stir, for about 1 minute.
Add the 1/2 cup whipping cream, thyme and bay leaf. Turn heat to low, cover, and cook for 20 minutes. Add fish and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
Remove soup from stove and let cool to warm. Remove bay leaf. Using a slotted spoon, scoop about half the potato and onions from the soup into a blender (it’s okay if a few pieces of fish make it into the blender too). Scoop in 1 cup of the soup stock and blend to a smooth puree. Return puree to soup, and return soup to stove over medium heat.
Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add remaining 1/2 cup of cream and stir. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
Serve soup with thick slices of crusty bread slathered liberally with Kerrygold butter. (Or whatever is the best butter you have.)
skinny girls & mayonnaise 
Nov 21, 2014 @ 04:50:43
Nice photo on the rocks!
Nov 21, 2014 @ 23:26:52
Everything is better on the rocks, right?? That’s when Dan and I were staying pretty much on the northernness peninsula in the Republic, and Dan said, “Let’s go grab a little time on our own…” So we each wandered off and found our own soggy spot to sit down and contemplate the turf. 40 or so minutes later: “That’s enough of that. Let’s get a pint.”
Nov 21, 2014 @ 07:14:25
Mid-60’s??? It’s like an Indian summer back in New York!!! I got cold just reading the first 2 paragraphs and now I’m hungry and cold!!! Lol
Nov 21, 2014 @ 15:26:39
Ha ha Monica! Californian’s are wussy’s when it comes to rainy, cold weather. I can say that cause I grew up in Michigan 🙂
Nov 21, 2014 @ 23:24:09
Yeah, but 60 degrees FEELS cold here.
Nov 21, 2014 @ 15:25:36
Thanks for this! Sounds yummy! I’ve been making lots of soup with all the rain and 50 degree weather we’ve been having in Northern CA. It’s always difficult to find a good soup recipe that uses fish. I just make one with salmon and will publish it in a few days 🙂
Nov 21, 2014 @ 23:25:16
Did you finally get rain!?? My mom is Sonoma has been complaining because her well ran dry and she can’t take showers. LOL Yeah, you could make it with salmon and corn, and it would be just as good. They’ve got some great salmon in Ireland that run the River Shannon.
Nov 22, 2014 @ 00:11:06
We’ve had rain in Santa Cruz all day Wed. & Thurs. I’m surprised she hasnt gotten any! Bummer about her well 😦
Nov 22, 2014 @ 00:38:52
We talked mushrooms already, right??
Nov 22, 2014 @ 16:25:41
We’ve talked foraging, but not specifically mushrooms. I recall that you have lots of knowledge about foraging 🙂
Nov 22, 2014 @ 20:22:56
Mostly just mushrooms — of which you should have ample growing up there if you’ve been having rains. Although we had a tracker take us on a hike for my son’s Cub Scouts troop, and discovered some of the edible things we have here in our deserty mountains (buckwheat, chia, etc.) I have yet to actually try any of them.
Nov 22, 2014 @ 20:45:35
I have tons of mushrooms growing in my lawn, now that I have lawn again 🙂
Nov 22, 2014 @ 20:46:17
Those are SOMETIMES good ones. 🙂
Nov 21, 2014 @ 21:42:14
Hi! Looks amazing!)) It’s about 30 degrees here on the East Coast!!
Nov 21, 2014 @ 23:23:51
You can give it a little Russian twist if you like — add some caviar, a little vodka… 😉
Nov 22, 2014 @ 00:11:09
How about some tequila and hot sauce?
Nov 22, 2014 @ 00:38:29
I’d never say “no” to either.
Nov 22, 2014 @ 02:36:45
Hey, looks good to we Floridians!!!Cheryl
Nov 22, 2014 @ 06:18:53
Mid 60s. Ugh. We had a freaking “snow day” last week (granted for PDX to announce a snow day and close the schools it doesn’t actually have to snow but still!). Also every recipe should include something slathered liberally with butter.
Nov 22, 2014 @ 20:21:23
If it doesn’t actually have to snow for a “snow day,” I’m thinking maybe I’ll declare one here!