Cue Up The Episode!

• Make sure you listen to A Meal by the Fire: French Soup and Stories in Selina's Country Castle while you make her amazing French Fish Soup with Aioli.

Make The Soup

The Morning Of

• In a dutch oven (or a large stockpot), saute the vegetables with a little olive oil.
• Deglaze the vegetables with white wine.

Make The Aioli

• Put the whole egg(s) in the container and mix with the immersion blender for a few seconds.
• Very slowly and gently add in the olive oil a drop at a time or in a very thin thread until the aioli thickens. This will take awhile.
• Crush the garlic and add it into the egg mixture along with sea salt, and white pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings to your preference.

Two Hours Before Serving

• Take the deglazed pot with vegetables and add 1/2 bottle of white wine, 4 cups of stock and enough water to cover the vegetables.
• Add herbs to the stock in a bundle, so you can easily remove the bundles later.

One Hour Before Serving

• Bring the stock to a boil. Add the potatoes, peeled and quartered. Also add the citrus slices and or citrus peel.
• If necessary, as more stock and/or water to cover the potatoes and let simmer for at least 45 minutes, or until potatoes are cooked. Taste and season with sea salt and white pepper.
• Cut the fish into large pieces and remove all of the bones in preparation for cooking. Also peel the shellfish, if using. If using mussels, precook them and rinse in cold water.

15 minutes before serving

• Add the tomatoes with the cut side facing up.
• Place the fish and the shellfish in a steamer basket that fits inside the stockpot or dutch oven. If you don't have one, simply place the seafood directly into the soup.
• Cook for 5-12 minutes. The fish should be slightly translucent on the inside.

Serve

• Serve the soup in soup bowls. Be mindful of adding a little bit of everything to each bowl. Let your guests add aioli to their own taste.