How To Prepare Bouillabaisse at Home?

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LOS ANGELES (GaeaTimes.com) — Bouillabaisse is a classical French recipe, which is blended of five different kinds of fish. It is a fish soup containing various kinds of cooked fish and shellfish, vegetables, and a variety of herbs.

You can try this mouth watering recipe at your home. Here I provide you with the simple recipe of this unique fish soup.

Ingredients

• 3 pounds of at least 3 different kinds of fish fillets, fresh or quick frozen (thaw first)
• 1/2 cup Olive oil
• 1-2 pounds of Oysters, clams, or mussels
• 1 cup cooked shrimp, crab, or lobster meat, or rock lobster tails
• 1 cup thinly sliced onions
• 4 Shallots, thinly sliced OR the white parts of 2 or 3 leeks, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 large tomato, chopped, or 1/2 cup canned tomatoes
• 1 sweet red pepper, chopped
• 4 stalks celery, thinly sliced
• 2-inch slice of fennel or 1 teaspoon of fennel seed
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme or 3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 2-3 whole cloves
• Zest of half an orange
• 1/2 teaspoon powdered saffron
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup clam juice or fish broth
• 2 Tbps lemon juice
• 2/3 cup white wine
• Sliced French bread

Method

1. Heat 1/4 cup of the olive oil in a large (6-qt) saucepan. When it is hot, add onions and shallots (or leeks). Saut for a minute, then add crushed garlic (more or less to taste), and sweet red pepper. Add tomato, celery, and fennel. Stir the vegetables into the oil with a wooden sppon until well coated. Then add another 1/4 cup of olive oil, thyme, bay leaf, cloves and the orange zest. Cook until the onion is soft and golden but not brown.

2. Cut fish fillets into 2-inch pieces. Add the pieces of fish and 2 cups of water to the vegetable mixture. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 10 minutes. Add oysters, clams or mussels (though these may be omitted if desired) and shrimp, crabmeat or lobster tails, cut into pieces or left whole.

3. Add saffron, salt, pepper. Add clam juice, lemon juice, and white wine. Bring to a simmer again and cook about 5 minutes longer.

4. At serving time taste and correct the seasoning of the broth, adding a little more salt or pepper if need be, and maybe a touch of lemon juice. Into each soup bowl place a thick slice of crusty French bread, plain or slighlty toasted. Sppon the bouillabaisse over the bread. If desired, serve with Sauce Rouille. Serves 6.

According to the famous chef, Nici Wikes, Bouillabaisse is such a dish that has elicited marriage proposals from men.