Gulf Coast Bouillabaisse Recipes

Steps:

• For the stock:
• Add all ingredients into a large stockpot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Strain, reserving the stock, and cool in an ice water bath. Whatever is not used that day should be refrigerated for up to 1 week, or frozen for up to 3 months.
• For the bouillabaisse:
• In another large, wide and shallow pan, over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the onion and fennel, cook for 2 minutes. Deglaze with the Pernod, and add the tomatoes, fish stock, seaweed, hot Italian peppers, crushed red pepper and season with salt and pepper. Add the lobster meat and cook for 3 minutes, covering the pot with aluminum foil or lid. Then add the rest of the seafood and cook, covered for about 6 minutes until the clams and mussels have opened.
• For the rouille:
• In a food processor, combine the roasted red pepper, garlic, bread, egg yolk, Dijon, lemon juice and salt and pepper. While the food processor is still on, slowly drizzle in the olive oil.
• Serve the Bouillabaisse in bowls with the toasted bread and Rouille on the side.

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.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400 degrees; brush bread liberally with olive oil, and bake on a sheet, turning once, until golden and crisp, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
• Add enough olive oil to a Dutch oven, deep skillet or shallow pot to make a thick layer (don't skimp) on the bottom. In it, cook onion, garlic, celery, carrot, potato, fennel and saffron until glossy. Add stock and tomato and bring to a moderate boil; cook until thick and stewy rather than soupy. Season to taste; it should be so delicious that you don't even care whether you add fish.
• Lower heat to a simmer, and, as you add fish, adjust heat so that the liquid continues to bubble gently. Add fish in order of how long they will take to cook. Monkfish, striped bass and squid are fish that might require more than a few minutes, so add them first. About five minutes later add clams and mussels, holding back any fish that has been cooked or will cook in a flash. When mollusks open, add remaining fish. Cut scallops into quarters and place in the bottom of 4 bowls.
• Add pastis if you're using it; taste and adjust seasoning. Ladle hot soup and fish over the scallops, distributing clams and mussels evenly. Garnish and serve with croutons and rouille, if you're using.

Steps:

• In a 1-gallon pot, heat half the olive oil over medium-high heat and sauté the onions, fennel, and leeks for 5-7 minutes, then add the garlic and saffron and cook for 2 additional minutes, until vegetables are softened but not browned (lower the heat to medium, if necessary, to prevent this). Add the Fish Fumet, tomatoes, orange juice, orange zest, thyme, liqueur, and Bouquet Garni, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper; keep warm.
• Heat the remaining olive oil in a large pot over medium heat and add the fish, cut into 1/2-inch dice, and the shrimp, and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Add the oysters, mussels, and scallops, and ladle in some of the broth and vegetable mixture (approximately 1 cup per person). Stir, bring it to a boil, reduce the heat, and cover. Cook until the mussel shells open, then taste for seasoning and divide among 8 bowls. Serve with the baguette rounds and Roasted Red Pepper Rouille (p. 184).