Bouillabaisse
Ingredients
- 2 lb fennel bulb, sliced thin
- 1 large onion, diced
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1 can (28 oz) San Marzano tomatoes, crushed
- 4 cups fish stock, simmering
- 1/4 tsp saffron threads, bloomed in 2 tbsp hot water
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp fennel seed, toasted and crushed
- 1/4 cup good olive oil
- 1 lb firm white fish (halibut or cod), cut into 2-inch chunks
- 12 oz littleneck clams, cleaned
- 8 oz large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- Sea salt and cracked black pepper to taste
- Pinch cayenne pepper
- 8 slices baguette, toasted
- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard mixed with 1 minced garlic clove for rouille
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add fennel, onion, and 4 minced garlic cloves. Cook 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until fennel is translucent and beginning to caramelize at edges.
- Deglaze with white wine, scraping bottom of pot. Reduce by half, about 3 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes, toasted fennel seed, bay leaves, cayenne, and bloomed saffron with its soaking liquid. Stir well.
- Pour in simmering fish stock. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce to a steady simmer. Cook uncovered for 15 minutes to allow flavors to meld. Season with sea salt and cracked black pepper.
- Add firm white fish pieces to broth. Simmer for 4 minutes, then add clams, nestling them into liquid. Continue simmering 3-4 minutes until clams begin to open.
- Add shrimp and remaining minced garlic. Simmer 2-3 minutes more until shrimp are pink and firm, and all clams have opened. Discard any unopened clams.
- Taste and adjust seasoning with salt, pepper, and a pinch more cayenne if desired. Ladle into wide bowls, ensuring each gets fish, clams, and shrimp in brothful of saffron-fennel essence.
- Spread garlic-mustard rouille on toasted baguette slices. Serve alongside bouillabaisse, with diners spreading rouille on bread and dunking or floating in the bowl.
Inspired by Robert Sisca’s winning bouillabaisse. This is a plausible recreation, not the chef’s original recipe.