Aljotta

Ingredients

• Fish stock
• Fish, raw
• Onion, roughly chopped
• Garlic, sliced or diced
• Tomatoes, chopped
• Frying oil or lard
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Marjoram
• Black pepper
• small amount Mint
• Lemon wedge or juice
• Rice

Method

Aljotta is built on two stocks working in parallel: one from the fish frame, one built live from aromatics. Start the fish stock first. Place your fish bones, head, and any offal into a tall pot, cover with cold water, and bring to a rolling boil. Within two minutes a grey scum will rise — skim it off ruthlessly. This foam is denatured protein and blood; leaving it clouds the broth and muddles the clean, saline flavour you need. Once the water runs clear, lower the heat to a bare simmer and leave it for 90 minutes to two hours. The collagen in the bones and skin dissolves into gelatin, which gives the finished soup its characteristic silken mouthfeel. Strain through a fine sieve and set aside.

While the stock simmers, prepare the base. Heat frying oil or lard in a wide, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-low heat. Add your roughly chopped onion and cook until completely translucent — the cell walls soften and the natural sugars caramelize slightly, deepening the aromatics into something sweet and savoury. This takes roughly eight to ten minutes. Add your sliced garlic and stir constantly for no more than a minute; garlic burns quickly and becomes acrid. Now add the tomatoes and your marjoram and black pepper. Pour in the strained fish stock and increase the heat to medium. The liquid should move gently, with the occasional bubble breaking the surface — this is a true simmering|simmer, not a boil.

Once the stock simmers steadily, add your raw fish cut into generous chunks. Aim for pieces large enough to hold their structure as they cook through — roughly the size of a small fist. Leave them undisturbed for eight to ten minutes. You'll know they're cooked when the flesh turns opaque and flakes easily under light pressure from a spoon. This matters: overcooked fish becomes mealy and splits apart, leaving you with shreds instead of substantial pieces.

Turn off the heat. Pour in your extra virgin olive oil — this is a finishing move, not a cooking fat — and stir gently. Taste for salt and adjust. Serve the fish pieces separately, dressed with more olive oil and a squeeze of lemon, alongside the broth. Rice goes in by preference at the table, a small handful per bowl. The soup is better the next day; the flavours settle and marry, and any remaining fish becomes even more delicate as it sits in the gelatinous stock.