If you can’t find crayfish, use large prawns or langoustines with their shells on. It may not be particularly authentic, but I’m sure a tsar wouldn’t have minded. London is apparently being plagued by alien American crayfish, so if you live in the UK anywhere near the capital, give my hero Crayfish Bob a ring, who will gladly catch them and sell them to you. They are cheap and beat any farmed prawns hands down.” Oil Hercules, Author
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Serves 5–6
INGREDIENTS
1 chicken carcass or 10 chicken wings
1 small onion, peeled, but kept whole
2 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
1 parsley root or a handful of parsley stalks, chopped
10 black peppercorns
2.5 litres (4 pints) cold water
1 whole sea bass or trout, gutted and scaled
10 raw crayfish or large prawns or langoustines, shells and heads on
1 bunch of dill, stalks only
100g (3.oz) button mushrooms, trimmed and chopped
To serve
1 lemon, halved and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
METHOD
1 Place the chicken carcass or wings, whole onion, carrots, parsley root or stalks and peppercorns in a large saucepan and cover with the water. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer, skimming off the scum from time to time, for 1 hour. Remove the carcass or wings and discard.
2 Cut the head and tail off the fish and pop those into the broth (reserve the body), then add the shellfish and dill stalks and simmer for 5 minutes.
3 Cut across the fish body (bones and all) into 6 steaks and pop them into the broth. Add the mushrooms and cook for another 5 minutes until the shellfish is pink and the fish cooked through. Serve with a slice of lemon and the chopped parsley.
‘Mamushka by Olia Hercules is published by Hachette Australia. Hardback RRP $39.99, Ebook $19.99’
