Seasons Eatings

Bouillabaisse Seafood Stew from the Marseille region of France

Serves 4-6 people

  1. 25ml olive oil
  2. 1 medium onion roughly chopped
  3. 1 white of leek chopped roughly
  4. 2 celery sticks thinly cut 1 bulb fennel thinly cut
  5. 3 garlic cloves crushed
  6. 1gram orange peel
  7. 300grams tomatoes skinned and chopped
  8. ¼ Spanish chilli seeded and chopped ¼ teaspoon of saffron strands or powder
  9. 1 sprig of thyme 1 bay leaf
  10. 1kilo mixed seafood (monkfish, gunard, red mullet, clams, mussels, large prawns)
  11. ¼ teaspoon of chopped fennel top pinch of oregano pinch of thyme leaves 1 tablespoon of pernod salt and pepper
  12. Approx. 4 pints of ready made fish stock


Method

  1. Heat oil in a deep pan. Fry off the vegetables until soft. Season with salt and black pepper. Add orange zest, saffron, thyme, bay leaf and fish stock. Bring to the boil.
  2. Add the firmer fish to the pot like the monkfish and gunard. Bring back to the boil for 2-3 minutes. Add other fish then add the shellfish, fennel, herbs, oregano, pernod and thyme leaves
  3. Remove fish and shellfish carefully into a pasta bowl and keep warm. Strain the cooking liquor, return to the pan, add olive oil and reduce to a concentrate into a broth. Check seasoning.
  4. Serve with crusty bread.