Avgolemono is one of the great Greek recipes — a silky, lemony egg-thickened soup that is pure comfort in a bowl. Most people know it with chicken, but Anthony's family always made it with whole snapper, and we think it's even better that way. The fish poaches gently in the broth with vegetables, then gets pulled off the bone and served alongside the beautiful, milky-white soup.
The moment you pour the egg and lemon mixture into the hot stock and watch it turn from clear to that gorgeous cloudy white — that's one of cooking's quiet miracles. It's a recipe that connects us directly to Anthony's yiayia's kitchen, and we're so glad it's in the book.
Avgolemono Fish Soup
Serves 4
You'll need
- 2 large potatoes, peeled and quartered
- 2 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 celery stalk, roughly chopped
- Small bunch flat-leaf parsley
- 1 whole snapper, 1–1.5kg, scaled, gutted and chopped into 3–4 cutlets
- Extra-virgin olive oil, to serve
- 2 cups white rice
- 2 eggs
- Juice of 2 small lemons
How to make it
Place the potatoes, carrots, celery and parsley in a large pot with 2 litres of cold water. Bring to the boil and cook for about 10 minutes. Lay the snapper cutlets on top of the vegetables, reduce to a medium simmer and cook for 20 minutes until the flesh comes easily away from the bone.
Carefully lift the fish and vegetables out onto a platter. Remove the fish flesh from the bones and set aside with the vegetables. Strain the stock back into the pot and return to a gentle simmer. Add the rice and cook, stirring occasionally, until just cooked through.
In a bowl, beat the eggs together with the lemon juice until smooth and slightly frothy. While stirring the soup continuously, slowly pour in the egg-lemon mixture in a thin stream. The soup will immediately transform from clear to a beautiful cloudy white. Do not boil after this point.
Ladle the soup into bowls and serve with the fish and vegetables arranged on the side, drizzled with a little olive oil.
This recipe is from The Fishmonger's Son Cookbook — available in-store at 781 Nicholson Street, Carlton North — come and say hello.