Bouillabaisse
Bouillabaisse: easy seafood stew with red pepper spread
Ingredients
Bouillabaisse
- 1/4 cup olive oil (extra virgin)
- 2 large leeks white parts only, cleaned and thinly sliced, reserve dark green parts for stock or compost them
- 1 bulb fennel thinly sliced
- 8 cloves garlic
- 3 bay leaves
- 3 sprigs thyme (fresh) optional
- 2 cups vegetable stock (low-sodium)
- 14 ounces tomatoes canned, no salt added
- 12 ounces bell peppers roasted, well-drained
- 1 pound white fish (firm) cubed. Fresh or frozen. If frozen, thaw overnight in the fridge, pat dry before cutting into cubes.
- 1 pound shrimp wild-caught shrimp, shelled, thawed overnight in refrigerator, well-drained
- 12 ounces langostino thawed overnight in refrigerator, well-drained
- 1 handful Italian flat-leaf parsley (fresh) finely chopped
Rouille
- 12 ounces bell peppers roasted, well-drained
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1.5 ounces bread (gluten-free) cubes, 1 cup
- 1 egg yolks large, pasteurized if possible
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice (fresh)
- 1/2 cup olive oil (extra virgin)
- 12 slices bread (gluten-free) baguettes, thickly cut on the diagonal, toasted or grilled
Instructions
Bouillabaisse
- In a large heavy-bottom soup pot or enameled Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat until it shimmers.
- Add the leeks and fennel. Season with black pepper. Saute for 10 minutes until golden brown and reduced in size by about half, adding the garlic after a few minutes.
- Blend the broth, tomatoes, and bell peppers in a blender until very smooth.
- Add the tomato-pepper mixture, bay leaves, and thyme (if using) to the soup pot. Bring the liquid just to a boil, then reduce to a gently bubbling simmer. Cook for 30 minutes. Remove the bay leaves and thyme stems. (You can do this ahead of time and then bring the broth to a simmer right before dinner.)
- Add the fish and seafood. Cook for 4-8 minutes, just until all the seafood is cooked. Remove from heat and stir in the parsley.
Rouille
- Let all the ingredients come to room temperature.
- In a food processor, combine all the ingredients except for the oil. Puree until smooth. With the machine running, slowly add the olive oil.
- Toast the bread slices. Serve spread with rouille, 1 slice per person.
Notes
The rouille freezes beautifully, so you can make the full recipe of the rouille and only use a portion of it. Especially if you don't want to make a full recipe of bouillabaisse. You can stir leftover rouille into any hot soup to thicken it.