Alojtta is beautiful garlicky fish broth! I remember the bones in the alojtta soup my mum made but muslin has solved that problem.
This soup was made in my house often. Whenever my dad would come home from his fishing expedition this soup was made. Great for Winter. Any smaller fish, fish heads, tails, fins or other small seafood was used to create a wonderful fish stock.
Alojtta comes from the Italian word for garlic – hence why there is so much garlic in this soup (I use one small bulb or about 12 cloves). It is very different to bouillabaisse as it is not meant to have large pieces of fish or seafood in it. The seafood is meant to mainly flavour the broth. However, variations in each family is different and some prefer more seafood than others.
The main ingredient is the fish stock. I have added 2 small sea bass in my alojtta broth. I added 2 small squid and 2 prawns also for added flavour. In addition to the stock the other ingredients are tomatoes, garlic, onions, herbs and finally some rice.
I usually have my alojtta as a starter and then remove the fish which is used to prepare a separate meal. To protect the fish which has been poached I place it in some muslin. The heads and other off cuts are placed in a separate muslin bag and discarded once the soup has finished cooking. The avoids all the bones and other unpleasant pieces dispersing in the soup.
I am sure you will love this soup. Us Maltese certainly do!
- 2 small fish suitable for poaching (I used seabass) - about 600 grams.
- Heads of the small fish and any other seafood offcuts including seafood shells, tails and fins.
- 2 small squid sliced finely
- 2 prawns peeled and chopped finely
- 2 onions diced
- 1 head of garlic (about 12 cloves) peeled
- 5 tomatoes diced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 3 tablespoons chopped parsley, 3 tablespoons chopped mint and 1 tablespoon of dried marjoram (the mint and parsley can also be dried)
- 125 grams rice (1/2 cup)
- 1.5 litres water
- 1 fish stock cube
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- Lemon
- Muslin cloth
- Wrap the de-headed and de-finned/tailed fish in some muslin.
- In a separate muslin cloth place the fins, heads and tails and any other seafood offcuts such as shells. Tie with a piece of cooking string.
- In a large pot add some olive oil and fry the onion for 5 minutes.
- Add in the garlic and herbs and fry for a further minute.
- Add the tomatoes and tomato paste which has been diluted with a cup of water. Fry for a further 15 minutes on low heat.
- Add in the liquid with one fish cube stock and stir with all the other ingredients in the pot.
- Add in the chopped prawns and squid. Place the fish and offcuts which have been put in muslin on top.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Simmer gently for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes add in the rice and cook for a further ten minutes. The rice should just be cooked (do not overcook).
- Remove the fish from the broth and muslin and place in a warm tray. Serve this separately with potatoes and beans or a Maltese salad.
- Serve the soup with lemon wedges. Season further if required.