Gazpachuelo Malagueño

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Immersion blender and narrow jug
• •Wide saucepan or cazuela, 24-26cm
• •Ladle
• •Whisk

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the mayonesa

   Put the egg, 3g of the salt, and the lemon juice in a narrow jug. Pour in the olive oil, set an immersion blender flat on the bottom, and blend without moving it for about 10 seconds, then lift slowly until the oil is taken in and the mayonnaise is thick. Keep it cool while the soup starts.

   Use a pasteurized egg, especially if serving children, older adults, pregnant people, or anyone with a weakened immune system. This soup is not boiled after the mayonesa goes in.
2. 2

   Cook the potatoes

   Pour the fish stock into a wide saucepan with the bay leaf and the remaining 8g salt. Bring it to a gentle boil, add the potatoes, then lower the heat and simmer until a knife slides through them easily, about 12 to 15 minutes. Keep the pieces whole; broken potato thickens the broth in a dull way.

3. 3

   Add the hake

   Lower the broth to the gentlest simmer and add the hake pieces. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, just until the fish flakes when nudged with a spoon but still looks juicy. Turn off the heat and discard the bay leaf.

4. 4

   Temper the mayonesa

   Let the pot stand off the heat for 2 minutes so the broth is no longer bubbling. Ladle about 250ml of broth into the mayonesa little by little, whisking all the time, until it loosens into a pourable cream. This is the step that saves the soup: the egg meets the warmth gently instead of scrambling.

5. 5

   Bind the soup

   Pour the tempered mayonesa back into the pot, moving the ladle slowly through the potatoes and fish so you don't break them. The broth should turn pale ivory and silky. Do not let it boil again. Taste for salt and lemon, add the parsley if using, and serve at once with extra lemon at the table.

Chef Tips

• •Hake is the Málaga fish for this version, but frozen hake is fine if it was frozen cleanly and thawed in the refrigerator. If you can't find it, use whiting, haddock, or a mild cod fillet. Cod is firmer and can be saltier, so cut it a little smaller and season late.
• •The stock should taste clean, not loud. Simmer hake bones, heads, or prawn shells in water for 20 minutes, then strain. If you use bought stock, choose unsalted and avoid anything tomato-heavy.
• •The mayonesa decides the soup. Make it with mild olive oil; strong extra virgin oil can turn bitter in a blender. Once it is in the pot, warm the soup only gently, because boiling makes scrambled egg where you wanted silk.
• •Gazpachuelo is not cold gazpacho with fish. The name is family resemblance, not the recipe. No tomato, no cream, no red garnish trying to shout Andalucía from the bowl.

Advance Preparation

• •The fish stock can be made up to 2 days ahead and refrigerated, or frozen for up to 3 months.
• •The mayonesa can be made up to 24 hours ahead with pasteurized egg and kept covered in the refrigerator. Let it stand at room temperature for 15 minutes before tempering so it loosens more easily.
• •Once the soup is bound with mayonesa, it is best served at once. Leftovers can be reheated the next day over the lowest heat, stirring often, but they must not bubble.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 600g)