Seafood Bouillabaisse
INGREDIENTS:
– Stock:
• 4 cups water
• 3 stalks celery, with tops, chopped
• 1 medium onion, cut in wedges
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 lemon, cut in wedges
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp black peppercorns
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 fresh basil leaves
• 4 sprigs fresh parsley, with stems
• 2 tomatoes, cut into wedges
• 8 oz white fish bones
• 2 cups shrimp shells
– Bouillabaisse:
• 10 oz firm Mississippi Gulf white fish fillet (Wahoo), cut into 1-inch pieces
• 8 jumbo Mississippi Gulf Shrimp, deveined, tail on
• 1 pint Mississippi Gulf Oysters
• 24 Mississippi Gulf Blue Crab Claws
• 1 1/2 cups skim milk
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 onions, sliced
• 1 leek, chopped
• 1 fennel, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 1 14.5-oz can diced tomatoes
• 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1/2 tsp dried tarragon
• pinch of crushed saffron threads
• 1/4 bunch parsley, chopped
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
• salt, to taste
• 3/4 cup sweet cooking rice wine
• 8 oz low-sodium vegetable juice
• 4 cups seafood stock
• 1 cup oyster liquor
• fresh cracked pepper, to taste
DIRECTIONS:
1. Put all stock ingredients into a stockpot and bring to a boil.
2. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes.
3. Strain, reserving the stock.
4. For the bouillabaisse, soak fish fillets in cold milk for 15 minutes.
5. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add olive oil.
6. Add onion, leeks, fennel, celery and garlic, and sauté 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
7. Add tomato, fennel seeds, thyme, tarragon, saffron threads, parsley, cayenne pepper and salt, and cook 1 minute.
8. Add cooking wine and simmer 5 minutes.
9. Add vegetable juice, oyster liquor, seafood stock and black pepper, and bring to a boil; then reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes.
10. Drain Mississippi Gulf white fish and add to stockpot along with Mississippi Gulf Shrimp and Mississippi Gulf Oysters, then let cook 4 minutes.
11. Carefully add Mississippi Gulf Blue Crab claws and cook for two minutes. 12. Serve garnished with fresh herbs.
Serving Suggestion: Serve with buttered and toasted French bread rounds as croutons. Garnish with fennel fronds.