Simple Bouillabaisse Recipes

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan, and add the onions, leeks, chopped tomatoes, and garlic. Cook and stir over a low heat for a few minutes until all vegetables are soft.
• Stir in the fennel, thyme, bay leaf, and orange zest. Add shellfish and boiling water; stir to combine. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Turn up the heat to high, and boil for about 3 minutes to allow the oil and water to combine.
• Add fish, and reduce the heat to medium. Continue cooking for 12 to 15 minutes, or until fish is cooked. The fish should be opaque and tender, but still firm. Fish should not be falling apart.
• Taste the bouillabaisse and adjust the seasoning. Stir in saffron, and then pour soup into a warmed tureen or soup dishes. Serve immediately.

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the tomatoes, onion, carrot, saffron, bay leaf and parsley. Peel and crush 1 garlic clove and add it to the pan. Add the fish, shrimp and lemon juice, season with salt and pepper and boil for 10 minutes. Add the fish broth and wine, bring to a rapid simmer and cook until the fish is just cooked through. Adjust the seasoning, adding more saffron, lemon juice, salt and pepper as desired.
• Rub the toasts with the remaining peeled garlic clove. Set a toast in the bottom of each of 6 bowls and ladle the soup on top.

Steps:

• Add saffron to sherry set aside.
• Cut fish into bite size pieces.
• Scrub clams and mussels.
• In a large stock pot heat oil. Saute onions, shallots, carrot, fennel, and garlic in oil on low heat until lightly golden.
• Add all liquids and seasonings including the saffron infused sherry.
• Bring to just a boil. Lower heat and simmer 15 minutes. Add all seafood adding squid last, mix and simmer 10 minutes.
• Serve hot in large bowls.
• Top with garnishes.
• Serve with crusty bread, and a tossed salad.

Steps:

• Make the rouille: Puree the mayonnaise, roasted red peppers, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and a pinch of salt in a blender until smooth. Transfer to a small bowl; refrigerate until ready to serve.
• Prepare the bouillabaisse: Grate the tomato flesh on the large holes of a box grater down to the skins; reserve the skins separately. Peel and devein the shrimp, reserving the shells and tails for the broth; clean and debeard the mussels. Refrigerate the seafood until ready to use.
• Make the broth: Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp shells and tails and cook, stirring, until bright red, about 3 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste until incorporated, about 30 seconds. Add the clam juice, 4 cups water, the reserved tomato skins, the orange zest and 1/4 cup of the sliced fennel. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium; simmer until the liquid is reduced to about 4 cups, 12 to 15 minutes. Strain the broth through a fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl, pressing on the solids to extract the liquid; reserve the broth.
• Wipe out the pot and heat the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the remaining fennel, the shallot, garlic and a pinch of salt; partially cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the fennel begins to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the reserved grated tomato flesh and cook, stirring, until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Stir in the saffron, then add the wine and simmer until the liquid is reduced by about two-thirds, about 4 minutes. Add the reserved broth and return to a simmer.
• Add the mussels to the pot; cover and cook 4 minutes. Add any thick pieces of fish and cook, covered, 2 minutes. Add the remaining fish and the shrimp and cook, covered, until the mussels open and the fish and shrimp are just cooked through, 3 to 4 more minutes. (Discard any mussels that do not open.) Season with salt and pepper.
• Spread the baguette with the rouille and serve with the bouillabaisse. Sprinkle with parsley.

Steps:

• 1. Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, onion, and fennel and saut until just brown, 5 to 10 minutes.
• 2. Add the saffron (if using), orange zest, tomatoes, and stock or clam juice.
• 3. Bring to a boil and cook until the vegetables are tender and the liquid is reduced by half, about 20 minutes.
• 4. Reduce heat to medium and add the fish (but not shellfish). Cook for about 2 minutes.
• 5. Add any clams, mussels, and shrimp. Simmer until the shells just begin to open, about 4 minutes more.
• 6. Add any crabmeat.
• 7. Cook until all shells have opened, the shrimp is pink and curled, and the fish flakes easily, about 2 minutes.
• 8. Serve from the pot, sprinkled with the parsley and topped with crusty bread and a dollop of rouille.

Steps:

• For the shrimp stock: In a large saucepan over high heat, heat the oil until almost smoking. Add the shrimp shells and tails, onion, carrot and celery and saute, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add the wine and cook until reduced by half, then add 10 cups of cold water, the tomatoes, parsley, bay leaf and peppercorns. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium low and simmer, skimming the surface occasionally, for 40 minutes.
• Strain the stock through a strainer lined with cheesecloth into a large bowl, pressing on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible; discard the solids. The stock can be made 2 days in advance and stored tightly covered in the refrigerator, or frozen up to 3 months.
• For the tomato aioli: Combine the mayonnaise, anchovies, tomato powder, tomato paste, green onion, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.
• For the broth: Heat the oil in a large, high-sided saute pan over high heat and cook the fennel and onion until they begin to soften. Add the pastis and cook until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, saffron, chile flakes and 2 cups of the shrimp stock. Bring to a boil, add the garlic and cook until reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Add 4 more cups of shrimp stock, reduce the heat and cook until the flavors meld and the broth reduces slightly, about 20 minutes. Strain the shrimp-tomato broth into a large bowl, discard the solids, pour the liquid back into the high-sided saute pan and set aside.
• For the anchovy butter: Put the anchovies and butter in a bowl and mix until combined. Season with salt and pepper, cover and refrigerate until cold, at least 20 minutes.
• For the seafood: Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large saute pan over high heat. Season the scallops on both sides with salt and pepper. Sear the scallops on one side until golden brown, about 2 minutes, then turn over and cook for 30 seconds. Remove to a baking sheet.
• Add another tablespoon of the oil to the pan and season both sides of the halibut fillets with salt and pepper. Sear on one side until golden brown, then turn over and cook for 30 seconds. Remove to the baking sheet with the scallops.
• Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in the large saute pan, season the shrimp with salt and pepper and sear until the shells become lightly golden brown, about 1 1/2 minutes per side. Deglaze the pan with 1 cup of the reserved shrimp-tomato broth. Transfer the liquid to the remaining shrimp-tomato broth in the high-sided saute pan.
• Heat the shrimp-tomato broth over high heat. Add the mussels, cover and cook until they open, about 2 minutes. Remove the mussels to the baking sheet with a slotted spoon and discard any that did not open.
• Add the seared seafood and lobster tails to the shrimp-tomato broth, cover and let cook for 2 minutes.
• To serve: Add the anchovy butter to the broth and cook until thickened; stir in the parsley, tarragon and lemon zest. Top each baguette slice with a large dollop of tomato aioli and garnish with chives. Divide the seafood and broth among 6 large, slightly shallow soup bowls. Top each with a tomato aioli crouton and garnish with more parsley or tarragon or chives, if desired.

Steps:

• Make croutons:
• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 250°F.
• Arrange bread slices in 1 layer in a shallow baking pan and brush both sides with oil. Bake until crisp, about 30 minutes. Rub 1 side of each toast with a cut side of garlic.
• Make soup:
• Plunge lobster headfirst into a 6- to 8-quart pot of boiling water, then cook, covered, 2 minutes from time lobster enters water. Transfer lobster with tongs to a colander and let stand until cool enough to handle. Discard hot water in pot. Put lobster in a shallow baking pan. Twist off claws with knuckles from body, then crack claws with a mallet or rolling pin and separate claws from knuckles. Halve body and tail lengthwise through shell with kitchen shears, then cut crosswise through shell into 2-inch pieces. Reserve lobster juices that accumulate in baking pan.
• Cook tomatoes, onion, and garlic in oil in cleaned 6- to 8-quart pot over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Meanwhile, peel potatoes and cut into 1/2-inch cubes. Stir potatoes into tomatoes with fennel fronds, bay leaf, saffron, sea salt, and pepper. Add stock and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, until potatoes are almost tender, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Add thicker pieces of fish and cockles to soup and simmer, covered, 2 minutes. Stir in mussels, shrimp, lobster, including juices, and remaining fish and simmer, covered, until they are just cooked through and mussels open wide, about 5 minutes.
• Stir 3 tablespoons broth from soup into rouille until blended.
• Arrange 2 croutons in each of 6 to 8 deep soup bowls. Carefully transfer fish and shellfish from soup to croutons with a slotted spoon, then ladle some broth with vegetables over seafood.
• Top each serving with 1 teaspoon rouille and serve remainder on the side.

Steps:

• To make the croutons heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Lay the slices of bread on a flat baking tray in a single layer, drizzle with olive oil and bake for 15 mins until golden and crisp. Set aside - can be made a day ahead and kept in an airtight container.
• Use a layer of the green part of the leek to wrap around and make a herb bundle with the thyme, bay, parsley stalks, orange peel and chilli. Tie everything together with kitchen string and set aside.
• Heat the oil in a very large casserole dish or stock pot and throw in the onion, sliced leek and fennel and cook for about 10 mins until softened. Stir through the garlic and cook for 2 mins more, then add the herb bundle, tomato purée, star anise, Pernod if using, chopped tomatoes and saffron. Simmer and stir for a minute or two then pour over the fish stock. Season with salt and pepper, bring to a simmer, then add the piece of potato. Bubble everything gently for 30 mins until you have a thin tomatoey soup. When that piece of potato is on the brink of collapse, fish it out and set aside to make the rouille.
• While the broth is simmering make the rouille by crushing the garlic, chilli and saffron with a pinch of salt in a mortar with a pestle. Mash in the cooked potato to make a sticky paste then whisk in the egg yolk and, very gradually, the olive oil until you make a mayonnaise-like sauce. Stir in the lemon juice and set aside.
• Once the chunky tomato broth has cooked you have two options: for a rustic bouillabaisse, simply poach your fish in it along with the mussels, if you're using (just until they open) and serve. For a refined version, remove the herb bundle and star anise. Using a handheld or table-top blender, blitz the soup until smooth. Pass the soup through a sieve into a large, clean pan and bring to a gentle simmer. Starting with the densest fish, add the chunks to the broth and cook for 1 min before adding the next type. With the fish we used, the order was: monkfish, John Dory, grey mullet, snapper. When all the fish is in, scatter over the mussels, if using, and simmer everything for about 5 mins until just cooked and the mussels have opened.
• Use a slotted spoon to carefully scoop the fish and mussels out onto a warmed serving platter, moisten with just a little broth and scatter over the chopped parsley. Bring everything to the table. Some people eat it as two courses, serving the broth with croutons and rouille first, then the fish spooned into the same bowl. Others simply serve it as a fish stew. Whichever way you choose the rouille is there to be stirred into the broth to thicken and give it a kick.

Steps:

• Preparing the fish. The fish should be cleaned, gutted and scaled. You can then fillet the fish. Cut the fillets in halves or thirds depending on the size. Reserve heads, fins, and carcasses. Remember: do not allow contact between the cut sides of fish fillets and fresh water. If using lobster remove the tail (and halve) and the claws and reserve in the fridge. Split the lobster in half length-wise and clean the inside of the lobster head. Wash clams.
• For the fish stock, cook sliced onion in butter in a stockpot for about 5 minutes. Add fish heads, fins, and carcasses (and lobster body if you're using one) along with 6 cups cold water and the white wine. Add 1 of the bouquet garni. Simmer (low) this for about 2 hours.
• While the stock is cooking, marinade the fillets in 1/4 cup olive oil with a pinch of the saffron threads and half of the garlic in a large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and allow for at least 2 hours of marinade time.
• Once the stock has completed cooking, strain with a fine sieve or colander. Be sure to squeeze as much juice from the bones and meat as possible. Reserve one half cup of broth for the rouille. Wash the stockpot so that it can be used again to make the soup.
• For the soup, heat the other 1/4 cup olive oil over medium heat and add remaining onion, along with leeks, celery and carrot. Cook for about 10 minutes. Add tomatoes, the remaining garlic, orange peel, 1/4 teaspoon saffron, and fennel to the pot. Add the fish stock and (low) simmer for at least 40 minutes partially covered. About 20 minutes before you are finished, add the potato quarters.
• While the soup is cooking, make the rouille. Soak the bread pieces in the reserved stock. Squeeze the juice out and place bread in food processor. In a mortar and pestle, smash the garlic and salt into a paste. Add the paste in the food processor. Add red pepper, saffron, and egg yolk to food processor. Blend and simultaneously drizzle oil into the mixture. The rouille (it's just a fancy French mayo) should then be refrigerated for about an hour before using and keeps up to a week.
• Once the soup is finished you can cook the fish. First remove the potato and keep warm. Strain the soup again and return to the pot. Bring to a very rapid boil/ "boiling like mad" -- this is to help the oils emulsify. Add lobster tail and claws first -- cook for 1 minute. Then add clams and oily fish -- cook for 1-2 minutes. Then add white fish fillets -- cook for 2-3 minutes. Serve now!
• Serve in large shallow bowls. Place one slice of bread in the bottom of each bowl. Place fish and shellfish on top of bread along with a few pieces of potato. Ladle soup over the top of the fish and bread. Pass rouille (add some to soup and/or spread on your bread) and serve with extra French bread.