tomato fish soup with basil croutons

I love soup made with fresh tomatoes.  If the tomatoes are very ripe and tender (as these were) I don't fuss with peeling, seeding, and coring, I just chop them up as they are.  I used sole (lenguado), but something sturdier would probably be better.  The basil croutons really make the soup so don't leave them out. 

for the croutons:

half a loaf of stale whole wheat bread cut into cubes

handful of fresh basil

3 tablespoons olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Finely mince the basil. In a bowl, toss the basil with the bread, oil and salt and peper.  Spread the bread onto a baking sheet and bake at 350º for 10-15 minutes.  The croutons should be crunchy.

for the soup:

1 bulb of fennel chopped fine

1 carrot chopped fine

1 leek chopped fine

1 stalk of celery chopped fine

3 cloves of garlic minced

3 small potatoes diced

8 plum tomatoes chopped

3-4 tablespoons of olive oil

4-5 fillets of firm fish

3/4 cup white wine

1 1/2 cups stock or water

salt and pepper to taste

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in dutch oven or large pot.  When the oil is nice and hot sear the fish--about a minute a side.  It won't be completely cooked.  Take the fish out of the oil and set aside.  Add the remaining oil, bring to heat and add the fennel, carrot, celery, leek and garlic.  Saute the vegetables and after a couple of minutes add the potatoes.  When the potatoes are glistening and the other vegetables are soft, add the wine.  Deglaze the brown bits from the bottom of the pot.  Let everything cook until the liquid is reduced by half.  Add the tomatoes and the remaining liquid (water, stock), salt and pepper.  Let everything cook at medium heat until the potatoes are soft and the tomatoes broken up (about 20 minutes).  Just before serving, cut the fish into bite-sized pieces and add it (and its accumulated juices) to the soup.  Let the fish finish cooking in the soup (3-5 minutes).  

Serve the soup with the croutons.

This soup was enjoyed by my whole family, except for one small person who only eats peanut butter sandwiches and quesadillas.