The Goods from Provence Marinaside

Vancouver, BC | Jean-Francis Quaglia, owner and Executive Chef of Provence Marinaside, unveiled today his first venture into the packaged food sector – Mamie Suzanne’s Fish Soup. Taking more than a year in development, a 750 ml pouch priced at $18.49 easily provides two to four servings depending on whether it is enjoyed as a first or main course. To start, it will be available for sale only at the restaurant. “We’ll consider other outlets if the demand warrants it,” says Chef Quaglia.

Long a classic favourite on Provence Marinaside’s menu, La Soupe de Poisson (Fish Soup) is a traditional dish of Chef Quaglia’s hometown of Marseille, France. The soup’s origins date back centuries from the unsold catches of local fishermen who took the daily left-overs home to be turned into soup for their families.

Chef Quaglia’s late mother, Chef Suzanne Quaglia, refined the concept and it became a one of the featured dishes at her Marseille restaurant, Le Patalain. “I named the soup in her honor,” says Chef Quaglia. “It’s essentially her recipe, but of course, keeping to the original spirit of using only local fish from our west coast. When my Mum first opened her restaurant, I was 13 years old, and I used to visit and help from time to time. I already had a passion for cooking and baking. Making this fish soup brings back memories of that time and the experience of roasting all the tiny rock fishes to create the soup’s intense the flavour. It’s a wonderful comfort food and brings the sunshine of Provence to your table even on Vancouver’s dreariest of gray days.”

At the restaurant, Chef Quaglia serves the soup the traditional way – with crostinis topped by gruyère and rouille that are floated in the soup.

At home, the versatile soup can be the focus of a light meal served with a side salad and crusty bread or turned into a part of a main fish course. Chef Quaglia suggests one of his favourite at-home dinners is Poached Whole Fish. It starts “by purchasing a cleaned, scaled whole fish (about 1lb). Place it in a deep pan with sliced onions, fresh fennel, and a few pre- blanched fingerling potatoes (cut in half). In a separate pot, bring the soup to a boil and pour on top of the fish. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 425°F for 10 to 15 minutes and you have a tasty dinner for two.”

Now, you too, can experience the flavour and the sunshine of the south of France in your own home with a steaming bowl of Mamie Suzanne’s Fish Soup. Drop by Provence Marinaside to pick up a pouch.

Provence Marinaside

Neighbourhood: Yaletown

1177 Marinaside Crescent

604-681-4144

WEBSITE