Growing up in a fishing village called Marsalforn, my father used to take me out fishing or spearfishing every day. From him and the other fishermen I learnt how to love and respect the sea. Thanks to this our frieezer was always full of fish or octopus :D
The Aljotta, or Fish soup in English, was a weekly dish and was always a joy to find it on the table, especially when I helped bring the fish!
The Aljotta
This recipe varies a lot on the island. My version naturally resembles mostly my mum's. Others prepare the Aljotta as a light starter soup leading to a fish dish. My mother would add fish chunks and rice making it a main course dish.
To make the Aljotta is rather simple. Put some fish in a big deep pan pot. I love to put in conger eel or a stone fish together with the other fish. They give out a taste like no other! submerge the fish and bring to a boil for 20 minutes then let simmer for an hour. You can also add some olive oil and white wine to the pot.
After about an hour, collect all the liquid using a strainer and set aside. Put the fish carcasses on a plate. In the same pot, pour a little olive oil and fry 1 big onion and fry until tender. Add together: garlic, 2 big finely chopped tomatoes, a teaspoon of dry mint, a cup of tomato pure, about 500ml of fish stock and a cup of rice. You can use any rice of your preference.
The rest of the fishstock can be collected into bowls and frozen. We have a vacuum sealer and it is so easy to preserve such stocks. Will make it easier for our next fish soup.
Remove from the heat when the rice is ready to your preference, we like it a bit 'al dente'. Serve in a deep plate, add some pepper and chilly flakes and gobble up!
Thank You!
Thank you for following! I hope you've enjoyed the recipe. You can find this recipe and more on my fiancee
's blog http://www.rodysheartycorner.com/fish-soup-aljotta/.I will definitly keep posting more traditional recipes in between our adventures. You can find the previous recipe involving Stuffed Artichokes here:
Other Maltese Traditional Recipies
https://steemit.com/photography/@theislander/stuffed-artichokes-a-traditional-maltese-dish
