Recipe – Bouillabaisse Fish Stew

With all great soups and stews the cozy flavors of these masterpieces emerge from the foundation.  Each chef will hesitantly admit that it is their mastery of building their foundation stock which provides the sumptuous mouth-watering experience of a great soup and stew.

We shall begin, as so many legendary chefs before us have, with building the foundation stock for our soup.

There are two general approaches to creating an inspiring soup and stew.  They are to be true to the original cooks from their home kitchens or to embellish an original recipe with a personal style and set of flavors.  We will follow the former as best we can.

Bouillabaisse is a traditional French fish stew originating from the port city of Marseille. It’s known for its rich flavors and use of various types of fish and seafood.  In the port city of marseille farmers and craftsmen from the countryside would trod their wares and produce to markets and shop-keepers throughout the city.

The city was not lacking for fresh produce, and a trip to the market was not an unusual activity.  Selecting produce without blemish was the responsibility of the cook.  It was a developed and finely honed skill, knowing which vegetables to select at which time of the year.  Some vegetables would keep and others would spoil quickly, becoming useless.  Younger vegetables would produce different flavors than older ones, and certain farmers did a better job of growing than did others.  It was all about texture, flavor, appearance and more.  A good cook was a treasure indeed.

Often, depending on availability, vegetables and their condition would determine the menu for the meal yet to be prepared.  A skilled cook could make a change to the meal quickly and shift purchasing produce to reflect the change.

Being a port city had its advantages too.  Ships from the the Balearic, Tyrrhenian, Ionian and Mediterranean seas would bring their spices and wares from port cities of places like Tunis, Rome, Athens, Benghazi, Algiers, and more.  The people of Marseille certainly enjoyed a prolific economy of spices and other foods from foreign ports which could be purchased and incorporated into any number of exquisite recipes.

The coast of Marseille borders the Balearic sea from which a bounty of creatures were available and used to make many mouth-watering dishes.  The port was busy with boats laden with fish.  Here is where the daily catch would be bartered and sold for the mid day or evening meal.  Here is also where the fish mongers would offer their services to fillet fresh fish if needed.

The port was a busy place, but one repleat with many food offerings.  From here the cook would return to the kitchen and begin preparation of the meal extrodinaire.

To start the foundation cut up bacon into 1/2″ pieces.  and render the bacon fat from the bacon in a large sauce pan.  When the fat is mostly rendered remove the solids and set aside for later.

The next consideration in making the stew, we will call the Bouillabaisse a stew, is decide if we want to use the foundation vegetables as texture, flavor, or both.  In our stew we will use the foundation vegetables as both flavor and texture.

To accomplish this we will need to use a two step sweating procedure.  The first step will be to sweat the onions and then caramelize them.  This will give the stew color and flavor.  The second step will be to only sweat the onions.  This will give us texture.

To sweat and caramelize add 1 onion chipped to the bacon fat. Caramelize the onion by moving the chopped onion in the bacon fat until there are deposits left on the pan, and the onion begins to brown.  The brownish deposits on the pan surface and on the onion will add color and flavor to the stew.

Just as the onion begins to brown add the remaining chopped onion, leeks, and cliced fennel bulb.  Stir the mixture to combine the ingredients and evenly heat them.  Add additional butter to keep the browning pan deposits from burning and assist in sweating the added vegetables.  This process should last 5 minutes or so until the leeks and added onion are softened.

Now add the garlic, saffron, thyme and red pepper flakes.  Continue to stir occasionally and add the white wine.  The pot contents will simmer and the flavors will blend.  The wine will assist in releasing the browned material from the bottom of the pan resulting in a wonderfully colored gravy with the vegetables.

Now add the diced tomatoes along with the diced potato and the seafood broth.  Add two bay leaves and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Let the ingredients simmer for 15-20 minutes to develop the flavors.

At this point the foundation is ready.  The foundation can be used with most any seafood and fish.

Creating the stew happens now with the addition of the fish and, if desired, seafood.  Make sure the foundation is simmering.

Cut the fish into cubes and add them to the foundation gently.  Let them simmer, without stirring, 5 – 7 minutes.

As the fish simmer in the stew foundation it will release oils from the flesh adding to the intense flavors of the foundation.

The Bouillabaisse is now complete and ready for serving into bowls with crusty bread to soak up the stew broth.  Add the bacon solids to the soup bowl and garnish with fresh parsley.

Some cooks like to add a piece of butter to the soup bowl to give an extra buttery flavor to the stew.

Complete the experience with a dry white wine served chilled.

For a desert use a tangy ice cream without added solids like nuts or fruit or use a tangy sherbert.

Bouillabaisse is a versatile dish, so feel free to customize it by adding other seafood or adjusting the ingredients to your preferences. Enjoy this hearty and comforting fish stew as a main course for a special meal!

Remember, cooking times may vary based on the size of your seafood pieces, so it’s important to monitor their doneness as you simmer the stew.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb (450g) assorted fish fillets (such as cod, halibut, snapper), cut into chunks
• 1/2 lb (225g) mixed shellfish (mussels, clams), cleaned and debearded (if desired)
• 1/2 lb (225g) shrimp, peeled and deveined (if desired)
• 2 onions, chopped
• 2 leeks, cleaned and sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 fennel bulb, sliced
• 2 cups diced potato (red potato)
• 1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes or two large tomatoes freshly diced
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 4 cups fish or seafood broth
• 1/4 cup butter from grass fed cows
• 1/4 teaspoon saffron threads
• 2 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/8 tsp White pepper
• Red pepper flakes (optional)
• Fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish)
• Crusty bread, for serving