Fresh Halibut Bouillabaisse
Chef:
Annemarie Ahearn
 

Food Mood:
Elegant
 

Cuisine:
French
 

Description
From the Provence region of France

Servings:
8
 

Ingredients
Croutes
1 baguette
2 garlic cloves for rubbing

Rouille
4 cloves garlic peeled and crushed into a paste
1/2 tsp saffron threads, crushed
1 cup basic mayonnaise
1/2 tsp sweet paprika
Pinch cayenne

Bouillabaisse:
1/2 cup olive oil
2 medium yellow onions, peeled and sliced
5 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1/4 cup fennel, trimmed and chopped
1 leek, trimmed and chopped
1 bouquet garni, (3 sprigs thyme and 1 bay leaf)
1 tsp saffron threads,
1 1/2 pounds tomatoes, concass?
1 lbs new potatoes, peeled and sliced
2 1/2 -3 lbs fresh halibut
16 mussels, scrubbed and debearded
16 clams, scrubbed
2 1/2 quarts warm fish fumet (2 pounds fish bones, 2 stalks celery, 1 medium onion, 3 sprigs parsley and 3 fl oz dry white wine)
1/2 cup pastis
Salt and fresh ground black pepper

Method
Prepare the fumet. Sweat the aromatics in butter. Saute the fish bones until they gain color and release a sweet smell. Deglaze with white wine. Add water and let simmer for 1/2 hour.

Clean the mussels and clams. Fabricate the fish into bite-size filets. Set aside.

Make the rouille. Mix mayonnaise and the crushed saffron threads, garlic, paprika and cayenne. Reserve.

Preheat the oven. Slice the baguette into 1/2 inch slices and spread out on a baking sheet. Place in the oven for 10 minutes and rub both sides of the toast with garlic. Reserve.

In a large pot, sweat the onion, fennel and garlic in olive oil. Add the leek and sweat another five minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook another five minutes. Season and toss in the bouquet garni and the saffron threads. Strain the fish fumet into the pot and add the potatoes. Simmer for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Ten minutes before you?re ready to serve add the pastis, the fish and then the shellfish. Once cooked, remove the larger items and temper the aioli into the soup and season. Top each bowl with a few croutes and garnish with parsley.

Author:
chefadam
 

Recipe source:
chefannemarie