Caribbean Bouillabaisse Recipes

BOUILLABAISSE

Steps:

• For the shrimp stock: In a large saucepan over high heat, heat the oil until almost smoking. Add the shrimp shells and tails, onion, carrot and celery and saute, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add the wine and cook until reduced by half, then add 10 cups of cold water, the tomatoes, parsley, bay leaf and peppercorns. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium low and simmer, skimming the surface occasionally, for 40 minutes.
• Strain the stock through a strainer lined with cheesecloth into a large bowl, pressing on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible; discard the solids. The stock can be made 2 days in advance and stored tightly covered in the refrigerator, or frozen up to 3 months.
• For the tomato aioli: Combine the mayonnaise, anchovies, tomato powder, tomato paste, green onion, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.
• For the broth: Heat the oil in a large, high-sided saute pan over high heat and cook the fennel and onion until they begin to soften. Add the pastis and cook until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, saffron, chile flakes and 2 cups of the shrimp stock. Bring to a boil, add the garlic and cook until reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Add 4 more cups of shrimp stock, reduce the heat and cook until the flavors meld and the broth reduces slightly, about 20 minutes. Strain the shrimp-tomato broth into a large bowl, discard the solids, pour the liquid back into the high-sided saute pan and set aside.
• For the anchovy butter: Put the anchovies and butter in a bowl and mix until combined. Season with salt and pepper, cover and refrigerate until cold, at least 20 minutes.
• For the seafood: Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large saute pan over high heat. Season the scallops on both sides with salt and pepper. Sear the scallops on one side until golden brown, about 2 minutes, then turn over and cook for 30 seconds. Remove to a baking sheet.
• Add another tablespoon of the oil to the pan and season both sides of the halibut fillets with salt and pepper. Sear on one side until golden brown, then turn over and cook for 30 seconds. Remove to the baking sheet with the scallops.
• Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in the large saute pan, season the shrimp with salt and pepper and sear until the shells become lightly golden brown, about 1 1/2 minutes per side. Deglaze the pan with 1 cup of the reserved shrimp-tomato broth. Transfer the liquid to the remaining shrimp-tomato broth in the high-sided saute pan.
• Heat the shrimp-tomato broth over high heat. Add the mussels, cover and cook until they open, about 2 minutes. Remove the mussels to the baking sheet with a slotted spoon and discard any that did not open.
• Add the seared seafood and lobster tails to the shrimp-tomato broth, cover and let cook for 2 minutes.
• To serve: Add the anchovy butter to the broth and cook until thickened; stir in the parsley, tarragon and lemon zest. Top each baguette slice with a large dollop of tomato aioli and garnish with chives. Divide the seafood and broth among 6 large, slightly shallow soup bowls. Top each with a tomato aioli crouton and garnish with more parsley or tarragon or chives, if desired.

BOUILLABAISSE

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan, and add the onions, leeks, chopped tomatoes, and garlic. Cook and stir over a low heat for a few minutes until all vegetables are soft.
• Stir in the fennel, thyme, bay leaf, and orange zest. Add shellfish and boiling water; stir to combine. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Turn up the heat to high, and boil for about 3 minutes to allow the oil and water to combine.
• Add fish, and reduce the heat to medium. Continue cooking for 12 to 15 minutes, or until fish is cooked. The fish should be opaque and tender, but still firm. Fish should not be falling apart.
• Taste the bouillabaisse and adjust the seasoning. Stir in saffron, and then pour soup into a warmed tureen or soup dishes. Serve immediately.

CARIBBEAN BOUILLABAISSE

Steps:

• Fill a tall stockpot with water; bring to a boil. Add lobsters, and cook 9 minutes. Remove lobsters from water; set aside until cool enough to handle. Separate claws and tails from bodies; set all parts aside.
• Make a bouquet garni by placing thyme sprigs, bay leaves, 10 parsley sprigs, and peppercorns in a 12-inch-square piece of cheesecloth. Form a bundle, and tie with kitchen twine. Set bouquet aside.
• In a wide, low-sided stockpot, combine 1 tablespoon butter and 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil; melt over low heat. Add the shallots and garlic; cook until vegetables are translucent, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, remove and discard the peel and pith from limes; cut the flesh in half, and set aside. Transfer the shallot mixture to a small bowl, and set aside.
• Place lobster bodies in the wide stockpot. Raise the heat to medium, and cook, stirring constantly, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the lime flesh and Pernod; light a long wooden match, and carefully ignite Pernod. Allow the flame to burn out. Add saffron; cook 1 minute more. Add tomato paste, bouquet garni, and fish stock. Raise heat to high, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and let stock simmer, skimming foam as it rises to the surface, until stock is reduced by one-third, about 40 minutes. Set a cheesecloth-lined sieve over a large bowl, and strain stock; set aside. Discard solids, and rinse stockpot.
• Using kitchen shears, cut open a lobster tail, and carefully remove the meat in one whole piece; set aside. Repeat with remaining tails, and slice meat in half lengthwise. Crack or cut open each claw, removing meat in one piece. Discard shells, and set the meat aside, covered.
• Heat the remaining tablespoon olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Working in batches, cook the snapper fillets until browned and crisp, 3 minutes on each side. Transfer fillets to a plate, and set plate aside in a warm place.
• Melt the remaining 1/2 tablespoon butter in the rinsed stockpot over medium-high heat. Add the reserved shallot mixture, shrimp, and mussels; saute 4 minutes. Add strained stock, Tabasco, and salt; simmer 3 minutes. Add reserved lobster meat; cook until mussels open and shrimp have cooked through, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
• To serve, place a snapper fillet in each of six large soup plates, and evenly distribute the shellfish and broth among the bowls. Coarsely chop the remaining 6 sprigs of parsley, and garnish bouillabaisse.

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.

BOUILLABAISSE

Steps:

• To make the croutons heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Lay the slices of bread on a flat baking tray in a single layer, drizzle with olive oil and bake for 15 mins until golden and crisp. Set aside - can be made a day ahead and kept in an airtight container.
• Use a layer of the green part of the leek to wrap around and make a herb bundle with the thyme, bay, parsley stalks, orange peel and chilli. Tie everything together with kitchen string and set aside.
• Heat the oil in a very large casserole dish or stock pot and throw in the onion, sliced leek and fennel and cook for about 10 mins until softened. Stir through the garlic and cook for 2 mins more, then add the herb bundle, tomato purée, star anise, Pernod if using, chopped tomatoes and saffron. Simmer and stir for a minute or two then pour over the fish stock. Season with salt and pepper, bring to a simmer, then add the piece of potato. Bubble everything gently for 30 mins until you have a thin tomatoey soup. When that piece of potato is on the brink of collapse, fish it out and set aside to make the rouille.
• While the broth is simmering make the rouille by crushing the garlic, chilli and saffron with a pinch of salt in a mortar with a pestle. Mash in the cooked potato to make a sticky paste then whisk in the egg yolk and, very gradually, the olive oil until you make a mayonnaise-like sauce. Stir in the lemon juice and set aside.
• Once the chunky tomato broth has cooked you have two options: for a rustic bouillabaisse, simply poach your fish in it along with the mussels, if you're using (just until they open) and serve. For a refined version, remove the herb bundle and star anise. Using a handheld or table-top blender, blitz the soup until smooth. Pass the soup through a sieve into a large, clean pan and bring to a gentle simmer. Starting with the densest fish, add the chunks to the broth and cook for 1 min before adding the next type. With the fish we used, the order was: monkfish, John Dory, grey mullet, snapper. When all the fish is in, scatter over the mussels, if using, and simmer everything for about 5 mins until just cooked and the mussels have opened.
• Use a slotted spoon to carefully scoop the fish and mussels out onto a warmed serving platter, moisten with just a little broth and scatter over the chopped parsley. Bring everything to the table. Some people eat it as two courses, serving the broth with croutons and rouille first, then the fish spooned into the same bowl. Others simply serve it as a fish stew. Whichever way you choose the rouille is there to be stirred into the broth to thicken and give it a kick.