Introduction
Cotriade is a Breton fish soup of potatoes, onions and chunks of cheap fish such as mackerel and whiting, cooked together in one pot. It is eaten in two courses: first the broth, poured over toasted bread, then the fish and potatoes, dressed with oil and vinegar. It is a cheap meal for a cold evening.
The name comes from the Breton kaoteriad, “the contents of a pot”. Unlike the bouillabaisse of Marseille, it usually has no shellfish. Oily fish such as mackerel, herring and sprats are typical, with white fish like whiting or hake. Put the firm fish in first and the mackerel last, so that each piece cooks through without falling apart.
Ingredients
- 1 kg mixed fish fillets, cut into large pieces: about half mackerel, half white fish (whiting, pollock, hake)
- 1 kg waxy potatoes, peeled and cut into thick slices
- 30 g butter
- 2 onions, sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 bay leaf and a few sprigs of thyme
- 200 ml dry white wine
- 1.3 litres water
- salt and black pepper
To serve:
- 8 slices of bread, toasted
- 4 tablespoons olive oil and 1½ tablespoons wine vinegar
Tools
- A large pot with a lid
- A slotted spoon
Preparation
- Melt the butter in the pot over a medium heat and cook the onions for 5 minutes, until soft.
- Add the potatoes, garlic, bay leaf, thyme, wine and water. Season with salt and pepper, bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes, until the potatoes are almost tender.
- Add the white fish and simmer gently for 4 minutes. Add the mackerel and cook for 4 to 5 minutes more, until all the fish is opaque. Don’t stir, or the fish breaks up.
- Lift the fish and potatoes out with the slotted spoon onto a warm dish and cover it.
- Put the toast in soup plates and pour the broth over it for the first course.
- Whisk the oil and vinegar with a pinch of salt and pour it over the fish and potatoes for the second course.