Bouillabaisse
Author: 
Cuisine: French
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 8 Servings
 
Ingredients
  • ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 small red onion, chopped
  • 1 large leek, chopped
  • 2 celery stalks, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, diced
  • 2 cups canned chopped tomatoes
  • 2 ½ quarts water
  • A bouquet garni of fresh basil, parsley and thyme
  • Peel of one mandarin, orange or tangerine
  • A generous pinch (1 tsp) of crumbled saffron
  • Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste
  • 1 fish head and carcass from any round fish (get it from your fishmonger)
  • 1 lb shrimp shells
  • 1 lb cod or halibut filet, cubed into large chunks
  • 1 lb jumbo shrimp, peeled (save shells for stock)
  • 1 lb large clams, scrubbed
  • ½ cup dry white wine
  • Toasted baguettes, for rouille
  • Rouille:
  • 1 large garlic clove, crushed
  • ½ a roasted red bell pepper, seeded
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • Juice of half a lemon
  • A pinch of saffron threads
  • 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil¼ tsp harissa
  • Kosher salt to taste
Instructions
  1. In a stock pot over medium heat, heat the olive oil. Add in the onion, leek and celery and cook for 2 minutes until softened. Stir in the garlic and cook for a minute until slightly fragrant, then add the chopped tomatoes, water, bouquet garni, mandarin peel, saffron, salt (season generously), pepper, fish head, carcass and shrimp shells. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 30-35 minutes. Keep tasting your broth and season with more salt as desired.
  2. When ready, discard the vegetables using a spider strainer, or strain the broth into a large pot and discard the veggies. Using a spider strainer is easier so you don’t have to pour the broth back into the stock pot.
  3. Bring the strained stock to a boil, then add the fish and shrimp and cook for about a minute. Add the clams and white wine, then cover and simmer until the clams open, about 2-4 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside when cooked.
  4. To make the rouille, combine all the rouille ingredients (except the olive oil) in a food processor. Gently add in the olive oil, about 3 tablespoons at a time, or a slow drizzle while blending the ingredients, depending on the type of food processor you have. Keep blending until you get a creamy texture similar to a smooth mayonnaise. This can take anywhere from 5 minutes to 15 minutes depending on the food processor you have.
  5. Keep in mind that once the rouille is done, it will continue to set and thicken at room temperature since the heat from blending can make it semi-loose, so once you get a creamy consistency that coats the back of your spoon, it’s ready. Let the rouille set at room temperature or in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes.
  6. Serve the bouillabaisse with toasted baguettes and rouille.
Recipe by My Digital Kitchen at https://www.mydigitalkitchen.ca/2024/04/01/bouillabaisse/