French Bouillabaise
I'm a bit of a fish stew junkie. It all started with a restaurant in New York City called Bouillabaise. And guess what they served...My first recipe came from the Silver Palette cookbook, back in the day when we had cookbooks, and I have developed it ever since...I'm going to add a section at the bottom where you can leave your comments and pictures of what you made and and adjustments! (feeds 4)
INGREDIENTS
- 1/2 cup olive oil (EVVO)
- 1 medium yellow onion thinly sliced
- 2 leeks thinly sliced (white part only), adds to creaminess but you can use only onion
- 4-6 cloves garlic pressed
- 1 28 oz can chopped tomatoes
- 8 cups prepared fish broth (I use the carton)
- 8 oz clam juice (I use the bottled kind)
- Zest of an orange
- 2 tsp saffron (Trader Joe's has saffron)
- fennel bulb thinly sliced plus fronds
- 2 bay leaf
- 2 tbsp thyme
- salt to taste (I use 1 tbsp)
- pinch of sugar
- 1 lb each: salmon, seabass & scallops (can use mussels & shrimp too)
- 1/4 lb crabmeat (optional but adds dimension)
- sweet french bread
SAUTEE
- Heat olive oil over medium heat in a 3.5 quart saucepan
- Add onion and leeks – cook until wilted (about 10 minutes)
- Add garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant
SIMMER
- Stir in tomatoes, fish broth, clam juice, orange zest, saffron and fennel
- Wrap and tie in a cheese cloth – fennel fronds, thyme, bay leaf, salt and sugar. Or just drop into the pot – you’ll want to remove it later without the spices getting into the broth but heh, you can always just leave it in there...
- Simmer uncovered for 45 minutes
- The broth should taste pretty good by now. Adjust seasonings if needed
BLEND
- Remove one cup each of broth and veggies from the pot. Puree them in a blender and put back into pot. This thickens the broth a bit.
- Add all the fish/shellfish and let simmer 5-7 minutes until cooked
EAT
- Ladle into bowls and eat with french bread.
