British Columbia Bouillabaisse Recipes

CHICKEN STEW A LA BOUILLABAISSE

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large casserole. Saute the onions in the olive oil for about 5 minutes or until softened. Add tomatoes, broth, wine, garlic, bouquet garni and saffron. Bring to a simmer. Add potatoes, carrots and chicken, season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring the soup back to a simmer, cover the pan and simmer gently just until the chicken and vegetables are cooked through, about 45 minutes.
• While this is cooking through, make the rouille which accompanies it.
• Note that potatoes freeze badly. If you are making this in a double batch in advance and want to freeze it, make it without the potatoes and simmer broth for 40 minutes only or until carrots are tender and chicken is done. If you are serving half the recipe that night, cook some potatoes separately and add them to the soup later. Freeze leftovers and on day of reheating it, cook potatoes separately and add to a broth after it is reheated.

CASSIS BOUILLABAISSE

Steps:

• For the broth: Saute the fish scraps in olive oil in a large pot until they turn red. Stir in some salt and pepper and the onions, carrots and celery and cook for a few minutes. Mix in the tomato paste until almost attached to the pot. Pour in the wine to deglaze, and cook until reduced to almost dry. Add the stock, tomatoes, dill, lemon juice, saffron, basil and parsley. Bring to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer and cook slowly for a couple of hours. Strain the broth and return to the pot. Add the clams and mussels, cover and cook until they open, and then remove them from the pot and reserve.
• For the bouillabaisse: Heat the oil in a large pot until hot. Add the shrimp, scallops, fish and lobster tails and sear until cooked. Stir in potatoes, tomatoes, herbs and fennel. Divide the vegetables and fish among four bowls, and add the reserved mussels and clams. Pour over the broth and garnish with croutons and saffron aioli.

BRITISH COLUMBIA BOUILLABAISSE

Steps:

• To make tomato sauce:
• Heat 4 T. olive oil over low to medium heat, and cook onion, 4 minced cloves garlic and fennel until vegetables begin to soften.
• Add tomatoes and increase heat to medium-high; cook until mixture bubbles.
• Stir in 1/2 c. wine and the fish stock.
• Lower heat and cook gently for about 15 minutes, until liquid is reduced to sauce-like consistency.
• Season with salt & pepper to taste and remove from heat.
• Prepare fish:
• Wash shellfish and shell prawns if necessary.
• Cut fish into 2 inch cubes.
• Heat 2 T. olive oil in a pot large enough to hold all the seafood.
• Saute 2 remaining minced garlic cloves over low to medium heat until soft but not browned.
• Add salmon, whitefish and prawns and saute for 3 to 4 minutes over increased heat.
• Add mussels, clams, scallops and remaining cup of white wine.
• Simmer until clams and mussels begin to open and prawns begin to change color.
• Add tomato sauce and simmer until heated through.
• Serve in bowls with garlic butter and plenty of french bread.

SEATTLE STYLE "BOUILLABAISSE"

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Grill the fillets to obtain marks to sear in juices and set aside. In a hot saute pan with light oil, sear the scallops to seal in the juices and set aside as well. Do not cook fish and scallops through, cooking will be completed later on.
• In a saute pan with olive oil, caramelize the onions and fennel. Add garlic, prawns, and shellfish and continue to saute. Add the oysters and Lemon Verbena Broth. Cook until the shellfish are open.
• Add fingerling potatoes, teardrop tomatoes, beets, and carrots. Stir in the 3 tablespoons of compound butter. Add rock crab and continue to simmer for 3 minutes. Place fish and scallops in the oven for 2 to 3 minutes to finish cooking. Spoon bouillabaisse into a bowl, and then add grilled fish and scallops.
• Garnish with chopped herbs and sprigs of verbena.
• In a saucepot heat olive oil and sweat the onions. Then add fennel tops and fumet. Bring to simmer, reduce heat, and continue to cook for 15 minutes.
• Take off heat and add verbena. Let sit for 15 minutes. Then cool in ice bath as soon as possible. Strain when cool and refrigerate until needed.
• Mix all ingredients in a stainless steel bowl when the butter is soft. Store refrigerated.
• In a small bowl, mix all herbs together. Use for garnish.