Bouillabaisse was traditionally made by Fisherman in Marseilles France. It is a fabulous fish stew & low in carbs. It was made with at least 7 different kinds of ‘catch of the day fish,’ and along with shrimp, mussels and clams.
Makes 6-8 servings
4 Tablespoons of olive oil
1 large onion chopped
2 carrots chopped in cubes or chunks
2 celery chopped in half-moons or chunks
2 cups or so of seeded chopped tomatoes
2 or 3 ribbons of orange peel with a vegetable peeler
1 teaspoon of minced fresh tarragon or chopped fennel bulb
(note this is optional and adds a hint of a licorice taste….) so use sparingly.
3 Tablespoons of Dill (note: I love Dill and it is beautiful in this fish stew)
5 sprigs of fresh parsley
1/4 cup of Dry Vermouth
1/2 lemon
4 cups of fish stock
1 LB Shrimp
1LB Mussles
24 small Clams
1LB white fish (Tilapia, Cod, Snapper, or/& Seabass (*anything but dark-fleshed fish )
1. Sauté onion, carrots & celery until translucent in olive oil
Add tomatoes, dill, tarragon, orange peel, 1/4 cup of vermouth, & some lemon slices (1/2 a lemon)
Add the fish stock turn to high and boil cover and turn heat to medium-low
Add the fillets to the broth, then the mussels, then the clams, and put the shrimp in last. You only want to cook the shrimp until it just starts to turn pink. (discard any clams or mussels that don’t open.)
Serve:
You may ladle out in your favorite soup bowls and either garnish with basil or dill . I suggest serving with garlic bread & a dollop of saffron aioli.
Garlic Bread:
Simply buy a baguette and cut open slices not all the way through and brush on garlic butter. Then wrap in tin foil and bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes.
Garlic Butter:
I finely chop at least 5-7 garlic cloves or use your mortar & pestle and smash them, then add to a stick of butter and slowly heat on a low flame. Do not brown the garlic or it will be bitter.
Saffron aioli
Is an option to make and serve in the fish stew along with sliced garlic bread.
2 cloves of garlic peeled
a small pinch of saffron
pinch of sea salt & pepper
1 cup of Mayonnaise
a tiny squeeze of lemon juice
Combine in your mortar and pestle or cusinart until smooth.
Note: When making the fish stew be sure to use a wide pan so all the fish is evenly set amongst the tomatoey fish stock.
I look forward to how you will enjoy this wonderful wholesome fish stew/Bouillabaisse where you may adjust your seasonings to your taste, fennel, or tarragon, or basil, you could even add the saffron directly in the broth which has an interesting undertone.
Voila!
