My Bouillabaisse

Bouillabaisse is a fish soup containing different kinds of cooked fish, shellfish and vegetables.  It is flavored with a variety of herbs and spices such as saffron, bay leaf, garlic and red pepper.  I make my Bouillabaisse with mussels, shrimp, whitefish* and scallops but you can use whatever kind of seafood you have available to you.  

My Bouillabaisse  

1 Pound Mussels, cleaned
½ Pound Shrimp, shelled and deveined (keep shells)
½ Pound Bay Scallops
2 Pounds Halibut*, bone in and cut in 2 inch chunks
¼ C Vegetable oil
2 Cloves Garlic
1 Small Onion, chopped
1 Shallot, chopped
2 Small Fennel Bulbs, sliced thinly
1/2 t Red Pepper Flakes
3 Tomatoes, peeled and sliced
2 T Tomato Paste
Pinch of Saffron**
8 C Water
1/2 C White wine
1/2 C Clam Juice
1 Bay Leaf
Juice of one lemon
Salt to taste


Directions:

1.  Heat up water in a large stock pot.  Add the bones from the fish and the shrimp shells.  Bring to a boil and turn down to simmer for 45 minutes. 

2.  Strain all the bones and shells out and reserve liquid. 

3.  Soak the saffron** in about 2 T of hot water. 

4.  Heat the oil in a stock pot.  Add the fennel, onions, shallots and a little salt and cook about 5-8 minutes; until translucent. 

5.  Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and sauté for 1 additional minute. 

6.  Add the white wine and burn off for about 2 minutes.

7.  Then add the fish stock, clam juice, tomatoes, tomato paste, saffron with liquid and bay leaf.  Cover and simmer for 30 more minutes. 

8.  Add the mussels, fish, shrimp and scallops to the soup and simmer about another 5-8 minutes; until mussels open and fish is cooked.  

9.  Squeeze one lemon in the broth and serve.

Serves 8-10

Tips:  *You should choose a fish that will not flake apart in the hot water.  Red Snapper, halibut, monk fish, or whitefish are good choices. 

**Saffron is the red and orange stigmas of the crocus plant.  It has to be picked by hand and is very expensive.