Sunday Night Seafood Bouillabaisse
Our seafood Stock:
Shells, from shrimp, 8 to 10,
1/2 Sweet onion, sliced or chopped
1 carrot, roughly sliced or chopped
1 celery stalk, roughly sliced or chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste (optional)
2 sprigs thyme
Several sprigs parsley
1 bay leaf
10 to 15 whole peppercorns
Simmer this for about an hour.
Then…
• 3 pounds of at least 5 different kinds of seafood. We had mahi, shrimp and mussels. Often we use scallops, crab meat, and crab.
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup onions, thinly sliced
• 2 leeks, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 3 large tomatoes, roughly chopped. I blanched them and removed the skin and the core. Tonight we used a 14 oz can of fire roasted diced tomatoes.
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon saffron threads
1 long, wide strip orange zest
1 cup clam juice or fish stock
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Sliced rustic French bread, plain or toasted
• 3-5 different kinds of seafood. We had mahi, shrimp and mussels. Mix it up. Often we use scallops, crab meat, and crab. You can find an interesting amount of various seafood at the Food Lion. The mussels are less than $4. Look in the frozen seafood area. Lots to choose from.
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup onions, thinly sliced
• 2 leeks, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 3 large tomatoes, roughly chopped. I blanched them and removed the skin and the core.
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon saffron threads
• 1 long, wide strip orange zest
• 1 cup clam juice or fish stock (as noted above)
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Cook the onions and leeks. We used our dutch oven.
Heat 1/4 cup of olive oil in a large (6 to 8 quart) pot on medium high heat. When the oil is hot, add the onions, leeks. Stir to coat the vegetables with the olive oil. Cook on medium heat until softened but not browned, about 10 to 15 minutes.
Add the crushed garlic, chopped tomatoes, bay leaf, thyme, saffron, salt, and orange zest.
Cook until the tomatoes are soft and broken down, about 10 more minutes
Put in the clams/muscles till they open.
Lay the fish pieces over the vegetable mixture and pour over with 2 cups of boiling juice, cover Add clam juice or fish stock. Bring everything to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook, uncovered, for about 5 minutes.
Serve in a bowl. Tonight we boiled 2 small russet potatoes (we had some potatoes in prep for St. Patty’s) and used them as a base. Rice, orzo, lentils or pasta works too. Or nothing.
Toast some bread to sop up the juices.
This is a great meal. Absolutely prepare this with some music that you can dance in the kitchen with your partner while you wait for each next step.