Along the wild coast of Brittany, where the wind smells of salt and kelp, fishermen once made a soup with whatever the sea offered that day. No cream, no fuss — just fish, potatoes, onions, and a ladle of sea air.

 

That’s the cotriade, cousin of the bouillabaisse, but humbler, saltier, truer. It was eaten straight from the pot, soaked up with rye bread and washed down with cider.

 

Ingredients

 

(Serves 4–6)

 

• 1 kg (2.2 lb) mixed white fish fillets (hake, pollock, cod)

• 1 onion, thinly sliced

• 2 leeks, white part only, sliced

• 2 garlic cloves, crushed

• 3 potatoes, peeled and sliced

• 1.5 liters (6 cups) fish stock

• 1 bay leaf, a sprig of thyme, and parsley stems

• 100 ml (⅓ cup) dry white wine

• 1 tablespoon butter

• Sea salt, black pepper, and a squeeze of lemon juice

 

Method

 

1. Melt the butter in a large pot, add onion, leeks, and garlic, and cook gently until soft.

2. Add potatoes, herbs, and white wine; simmer for 5 minutes.

3. Pour in the fish stock, cover, and simmer until the potatoes are tender — about 15 minutes.

4. Add the fish pieces and poach gently for 8–10 minutes until just cooked.

5. Season with salt, pepper, and lemon juice to taste.

 

Serve with toasted rye bread and a dollop of rouille or mustard if you like.

 

🍷 Wine pairing

 

A crisp Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine or dry Breton cider, both bright enough to taste the sea between spoonfuls.

 

And if you’re ever near Concarneau at dawn, watch the fishermen unload their catch — that’s where this story begins, every single day.