C
Contrarian
This is one of my favourite recipes. Admittedly, it can take up to an hour to prepare but on the right occasion on a cold night, it's a culinary orgasm! I purposely have friends on my verandah with a Chiminea burning and have this. It's a French fish soup though I tend to think of it more as a stew. The sauce, Rouille, is a great a mayonnaise made of olive oil, garlic, saffron and cayenne pepper on grilled slices of bread.
The dish hails from Provence and I'm going there in September to experience it there.
Bouillabaisse (Fish Soup)
Preparation time:
40 mins
Cooking time:
90 mins
Serves:
4-6
Ingredients
1-2 fish heads
500g raw king prawns, peeled and deveined, retain shells and heads
1 lobster tail, chop meat and retain shell
1 cup white wine
2 cups water
1 small red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup olive oil
1 small leek, finely sliced
2 medium red onions, finely chopped, extra
4 cloves garlic, extra, crushed
4-6 tomatoes, skinned and chopped
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/4 tsp saffron powder or colour
2 bay leaves, extra
1 tsp dried basil leaves
1 tsp fennel seeds
5cm piece orange rind
Salt and black pepper
500g white fleshed fish, skinned and boned, cut into 3 cm pieces
12 mussels, beards removed and soaked
1/2 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
Rouille (spicy sauce)
4 thick slices white bread, crusts removed
Water for soaking
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 red chillies, finely chopped
2 egg yolks
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup olive oil
Method
1. To make rouille: Place bread and enough water to soak in a small bowl. Leave 5 minutes; squeeze water from bread and place bread in food processor with garlic, chillies, yolks, salt and pepper. Process 20 seconds. With motor running, add oil in slow, steady stream. Transfer to a serving bowl, cover and refrigerate.
2. To make bouillabaisse: Place fish heads with prawn and lobster shells in a large pan. Add wine, water, onion, garlic and bay leaf. Bring to boil, simmer 20 minutes. Strain, reserve liquid.
3. Heat oil in large pan. Add leek, extra onion, and garlic. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, over low heat 20 minutes, or until softened but not browned. Add tomato, tomato paste, saffron, bay leaves, basil, fennel seeds, rind, salt and pepper. Cook, uncovered, another 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add reserved fish stock, then bring to boil and boil for 10 minutes, stirring often.
4. Lower heat, add fish, lobster meat and mussels. Simmer, covered, 4-5 minutes, or until mussels have opened (discard any unopened mussels). Add prawns and simmer, covered, 3-4 minutes. Discard rind and bay leaves. Sprinkle with parsley. Serve with French bread and spoonfuls of rouille.
Notes
This soup can be prepared to the end of step 3 and refrigerated. Continue with remaining steps - final cooking should take no more than 10-12 minutes.
The dish hails from Provence and I'm going there in September to experience it there.
Bouillabaisse (Fish Soup)
Preparation time:
40 mins
Cooking time:
90 mins
Serves:
4-6
Ingredients
1-2 fish heads
500g raw king prawns, peeled and deveined, retain shells and heads
1 lobster tail, chop meat and retain shell
1 cup white wine
2 cups water
1 small red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup olive oil
1 small leek, finely sliced
2 medium red onions, finely chopped, extra
4 cloves garlic, extra, crushed
4-6 tomatoes, skinned and chopped
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/4 tsp saffron powder or colour
2 bay leaves, extra
1 tsp dried basil leaves
1 tsp fennel seeds
5cm piece orange rind
Salt and black pepper
500g white fleshed fish, skinned and boned, cut into 3 cm pieces
12 mussels, beards removed and soaked
1/2 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
Rouille (spicy sauce)
4 thick slices white bread, crusts removed
Water for soaking
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 red chillies, finely chopped
2 egg yolks
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup olive oil
Method
1. To make rouille: Place bread and enough water to soak in a small bowl. Leave 5 minutes; squeeze water from bread and place bread in food processor with garlic, chillies, yolks, salt and pepper. Process 20 seconds. With motor running, add oil in slow, steady stream. Transfer to a serving bowl, cover and refrigerate.
2. To make bouillabaisse: Place fish heads with prawn and lobster shells in a large pan. Add wine, water, onion, garlic and bay leaf. Bring to boil, simmer 20 minutes. Strain, reserve liquid.
3. Heat oil in large pan. Add leek, extra onion, and garlic. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, over low heat 20 minutes, or until softened but not browned. Add tomato, tomato paste, saffron, bay leaves, basil, fennel seeds, rind, salt and pepper. Cook, uncovered, another 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add reserved fish stock, then bring to boil and boil for 10 minutes, stirring often.
4. Lower heat, add fish, lobster meat and mussels. Simmer, covered, 4-5 minutes, or until mussels have opened (discard any unopened mussels). Add prawns and simmer, covered, 3-4 minutes. Discard rind and bay leaves. Sprinkle with parsley. Serve with French bread and spoonfuls of rouille.
Notes
This soup can be prepared to the end of step 3 and refrigerated. Continue with remaining steps - final cooking should take no more than 10-12 minutes.
