Bouillabaisse

Bouillabaisse

Ingredients:

• olive oil

• 1 onion, chopped

• 4 cloves garlic, chopped

• 2 celery stalks, chopped

• 1 cup carrots, diced small

• 2 medium-sized potatoes, peeled and diced large

• 1/4 tsp saffron

• 4 1/2 cups seafood stock

• 3 cups chopped tomatoes with their juice

• 1 lb. white fish cut into 2 inch pieces (cod, walleye, bass)

• 1/2 lb. peeled and deveined medium or large shrimp

• 2 lobster tails, cooked and cut into large chunks

• 1/2 lb. cooked mussels

• 12 ounces sea scallops

• salt and pepper

• pinch of ground cayenne pepper

• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

• 2 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice

• crusty bread brushed with olive oil and toasted for serving

1. In a large Dutch oven, add 2 tablespoons olive oil and heat on medium. Add onion, garlic, celery, carrots, potatoes, saffron, red pepper flakes and cayenne. Cook, stirring for 5 minutes.

2. Heat oven to 400℉. Brush liberally with olive oil on both sides of bread, place on a baking sheet. Cook for 5 minutes, turning once.

3. Add stock and tomatoes and bring to a low boil; cook until slightly thick. Season with salt and pepper. It should taste delicious at this point (as if you're going to eat it as is).

4. (Note: Add seafood according to how long they will take to cook.) Add fish and cook 2 minutes, add shrimp and sea scallops, let cook 2 minutes.

5. Remove from heat and stir in lobster, mussels and lemon juice.

6. Ladle into bowls and serve at once with toasted bread.

Yields: 4 to 6 servings

Notes&Tips:

• Bouillabaisse is a rich, spicy stew/soup made with a variety of seafood. It originated in Provence in southeastern France.

• Bouillabaisse is one of my older daughter's favorite seafood stew (soup). Every trip we make to France she has to have this dish.

• I love soup, so I'm always gamed to try a soup dish. And seafood is my favorite; so this was along my line of cooking. It was delicious and well suited for the a cold winter's day.

• I usually make my own seafood stock as I cannot find any in the supermarket. I generally save shrimp shells, fish fins, heads and bones etc. to make my stock.

• Since it is easy to over-cook seafood, I boiled my lobster tails and mussels before placing in this dish after it was done. This was easier for me.

• Canned tomatoes can be used if you do not have fresh tomatoes. You can also spread garlic paste on your bread after brushing it with olive oil and then toast it.

• Bouillabaisse is more filling than you think it would be. I had too much by the time I was done eating.