Rouget jus

Ingredients

Quantity	Ingredient
	bones and heads of 3 red mullet
1/2 bulb	baby fennel
1/2 stick	celery, chopped into small dice
1	carrot, chopped into small dice
2	shallots, chopped into small dice
2	garlic cloves, crushed
2	star anise, roughly crushed
3	coriander seeds, roughly crushed
pinch	saffron threads
1 small strip	orange peel
	pernod
	brandy
20ml	extra-virgin olive oil
20ml	virgin olive oil
30g	unsalted butter
2	overripe tomatoes, chopped
1 teaspoon	see method for ingredients
2	stalks basil, roughly crushed
	extra-virgin olive oil
squeeze	fresh orange juice

Remove the eyes from the red mullet and chop the bones and carcasses into small pieces. Put them into a large mixing bowl with the diced vegetables, spices, orange zest, Pernod, brandy and extra-virgin olive oil. Toss everything together well then cover the bowl with cling film and refrigerate for 2 hours to marinate.
Tip into a colander to drain, reserving the marinading liquid. Heat a saucepan over a high heat and add the olive oil. Add the fish bones, vegetables and spices and sauté gently. Add the butter and heat to a nut-brown foam. Continue to sauté until everything has caramelised a light golden-brown then add the tomatoes and tomato purée. Stir well and cook for another 3 minutes.
Remove around a third of the contents from the pan and reserve. Deglaze the pan with the reserved marinade then add just enough cold water to cover. Bring to a simmer and cook gently for 20 minutes. Pass through a chinois or fine sieve then return the liquid to a clean saucepan and bring to a simmer.
Simmer gently until reduced to a light sauce. Don’t over-reduce the stock or it will become overpoweringly strong. Add the reserved bones to the pan, return to the boil then remove the pan from the heat. Add the basil stalks and leave to infuse for 2 minutes. Pour through a chinois or fine sieve then add a splash of extra-virgin olive oil and a squeeze of fresh orange juice. This jus will keep in the refrigerator for 2 days or up to a month in the freezer.