Where it comes from
Aljotta is the traditional Maltese fish soup, made from the day's lesser fish and trimmings with lots of garlic and tomato. Rice or a handful of pasta thickens it; mint and marjoram are the herbs.
On the plate
Spoon up aljotta — a clear, golden, garlic-fragrant broth thick with rice and soft flakes of white fish, the tomato and lemon giving it brightness. Bite: deeply savory from the fish and garlic, herby with mint and marjoram, the rice making it a meal rather than a starter. Humble, restorative, and unmistakably Mediterranean — the soup of Maltese fishing villages.
How it works
Building the broth from whole fish and trimmings extracts maximum flavor cheaply; cooking the fish then flaking it back in keeps the flesh intact rather than shredded. Rice releases starch to lightly thicken the broth. Lemon added at the end keeps its brightness against the garlic-rich base.
Variations
With a handful of pasta instead of rice. With a poached egg. Richer with more tomato. With fennel. Made from a single large fish. Finished with grated cheese.
On the Palate
Ingredients
Serves 4
How it's made
8 steps · Show ↓30 min active · 30 min waiting
How it's made
8 steps · Show ↓- 16 min
Soften 6 crushed garlic cloves and 1 chopped onion in 4 tbsp olive oil.
- 26 min
Stir in 3 chopped tomatoes and 1 tbsp tomato paste; cook 5 min.
- 35 min
Add 1.2 L water (or fish stock), a strip of lemon peel, mint, and marjoram; bring to a simmer.
- 43 min
Add 600 g cleaned mixed white fish (and any heads/trimmings in a bag for flavor).
- 516 min
Simmer gently 15 min until the fish is just cooked; lift out and flake, discarding bones.
- 613 min
Stir 80 g rice into the broth and cook 12 min until tender.
- 73 min
Return the flaked fish; season with salt, pepper, and the juice of 1 lemon.
- 83 min
Serve hot with crusty bread.
