Cotriade

1. Clean all the fish thoroughly under running water.
2. Take a large pot and put the heads, bones and a piece of the eel into it.
3. Add 3 liters of water into the pot and let it cook on low heat.
4. Chop the onions and add those into the pot as well.
5. Chop the celery stalks and bouquet garni.
6. Also add these into the pot.
7. Cover the pot and let the mixture boil.
8. After it is boiled, turn the heat low again and let it cook for 20 minutes uncovered.
9. While the fish stew simmers on the heat, place a non-stick frying pan on the stove.
10. Add butter into the pan.
11. Peel off the potatoes and slice them.
12. Add them into the pan and cook on low heat.
13. Wash the leeks clean under running water, then slice these and add into the pan as well.
14. Chop the garlic cloves and add to the pan.
15. Stir fry the ingredients in the pan for a few minutes then take a spoonful of broth from the pot and pour it over the potatoes in the pan.
16. Add conger, bream, hake pieces, sardines and gurnard into the pot and cook until all the fish is tender.
17. Cook the stew for 20 more minutes on low heat.
18. Add chopped shallots and chervil into the pot and cover the pot to cook for another 10 minutes.
19. Cook until all the fish is tender inside the pot and a considerable amount of gravy is left.
20. Once, all the potatoes and leeks are properly fried turn off the heat.
21. Serve the fish stew hot with the fried potatoes and leeks as dressing!

Trivia

• Cotriade is not the first fish stew in the world. It is simply carrying on the Roman tradition of eating fish stew which dates back to the seventh Century BC. During that time, the Romans used to eat a type of fish stew called Kakavia.

The word Cotriade comes from the Breton word “Kaoteriad”. It means sharing of the catch that a sailor returns with and the contents of a cauldron which clarifies the cooking technique of the stew in a large pot.