Are you ready to put your range to work and your soul in the skillet? Then how about Bouillabaisse from Chef Brian Mottola, the Chef de Cuisine of Emeril Lagasse’s NOLA restaurant? This traditional French dish has made itself around the world and can make it to your stove top with some good ingredients and a little technique.
It’s amazing how peasant dishes have made their way to some of the top restaurant menus across the world. Bouillabaisse started on the docks of French Marseille by the local fisherman to utilize the bony rock fish they couldn’t sell at the markets. The name for Bouillabaisse comes from the translation of the word, to boil fish, which speaks to the preparation of the dish. There’s even evidence of the dishes’ roots going back to ancient Venetians and Greeks.
There are many different versions of Bouillabaisse and the dish found renewed fame when Julia Child brought French food to the world. When it comes to Bouillabaisse, what’s important is the freshness and quality of seafood. It’s made to be served very hot and to cook the seafood right before you serve it, which makes it perfect for cooking and entertaining at parties.
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- 1 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup whole almonds
- 3 red peppers
- 2 ounces sherry vinegar
- 1 cup large yellow onions (thinly sliced)
- 1/2 cup leek (white and green parts only) (sliced into thin half-moon shapes)
- 1/2 cup fennel bulb (thinly sliced)
- 2 tablespoons garlic (thinly sliced)
- 1 can petite diced tomatoes (with juice (14.5 oz.))
- 1/2 cup Pernod or Herbsaint
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed saffron threads (crumbled between your fingers)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 1/2 quarts shrimp stock
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 fresh thyme sprigs
- 2 fresh parsley sprigs
- 16 littleneck clams (Scrubbed and purged)
- 16 mussels (Scrubbed and debearded)
- 2 pounds grouper or white fleshy fish (skinless)
- 1/2 pound bay scallops (dry pack)
- 5 black peppercorns
- 2 cups olive oil
- 1/2 cup whole almonds
- 6 red peppers
- 4 ounces sherry vinegar
- 2 cups large yellow onions (thinly sliced)
- 1 cup leek (white and green parts only) (sliced into thin half-moon shapes)
- 1 cup fennel bulb (thinly sliced)
- 4 tablespoons garlic (thinly sliced)
- 2 cans petite diced tomatoes (with juice (14.5 oz.))
- 1 cup Pernod or Herbsaint
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed saffron threads (crumbled between your fingers)
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 5 quarts shrimp stock
- 2 bay leaf
- 4 fresh thyme sprigs
- 4 fresh parsley sprigs
- 32 littleneck clams (Scrubbed and purged)
- 32 mussels (Scrubbed and debearded)
- 4 pounds grouper or white fleshy fish (skinless)
- 1 pound bay scallops (dry pack)
- 10 black peppercorns
- 5 cups olive oil
- 1 1/4 cups whole almonds
- 15 red peppers
- 10 ounces sherry vinegar
- 5 cups large yellow onions (thinly sliced)
- 2 1/2 cups leek (white and green parts only) (sliced into thin half-moon shapes)
- 2 1/2 cups fennel bulb (thinly sliced)
- 10 tablespoons garlic (thinly sliced)
- 5 cans petite diced tomatoes (with juice (14.5 oz.))
- 2 1/2 cups Pernod or Herbsaint
- 2 1/2 cups dry white wine
- 1 1/4 teaspoons crushed saffron threads (crumbled between your fingers)
- 5 teaspoons salt
- 2 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- 12 1/2 quarts shrimp stock
- 5 bay leaf
- 10 fresh thyme sprigs
- 10 fresh parsley sprigs
- 80 littleneck clams (Scrubbed and purged)
- 80 mussels (Scrubbed and debearded)
- 10 pounds grouper or white fleshy fish (skinless)
- 2 1/2 pounds bay scallops (dry pack)
- 25 black peppercorns
- 10 cups olive oil
- 2 1/2 cups whole almonds
- 30 red peppers
- 20 ounces sherry vinegar
- 10 cups large yellow onions (thinly sliced)
- 5 cups leek (white and green parts only) (sliced into thin half-moon shapes)
- 5 cups fennel bulb (thinly sliced)
- 20 tablespoons garlic (thinly sliced)
- 10 cans petite diced tomatoes (with juice (14.5 oz.))
- 5 cups Pernod or Herbsaint
- 5 cups dry white wine
- 2 1/2 teaspoons crushed saffron threads (crumbled between your fingers)
- 10 teaspoons salt
- 5 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- 25 quarts shrimp stock
- 10 bay leaf
- 20 fresh thyme sprigs
- 20 fresh parsley sprigs
- 160 littleneck clams (Scrubbed and purged)
- 160 mussels (Scrubbed and debearded)
- 20 pounds grouper or white fleshy fish (skinless)
- 5 pounds bay scallops (dry pack)
- 50 black peppercorns
- First, make the Romesco. To start, you want to confit the almonds. To do this, place the almonds and 1/2 cup olive oil in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Slowly simmer the almonds for about 30 minutes. Then strain almonds and reserve the oil.
- Next, roast the red peppers on an open flame or grill until completely charred on the outside.
- Once the peppers are charred, place them in a small bowl and cover with plastic wrap. After about 15 minutes, peel the charred skin away from the peppers.
- Cut the centers and seeds from the peppers. In a blender, add the roasted red peppers and blend on low while slowly drizzling in the 1/2 cup of oil you strained from your almonds. Add sherry vinegar and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- In an 8-quart or larger pot, heat the Romesco you made over medium heat. Add the onions, leek, fennel and garlic. Cook while occasionally stirring for 6 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes and cook while stirring for 1 minute. Stir in the Pernod, wine and saffron. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook for 1 minute more.
- Add a little salt and pepper, stir well, then add the stock and bring to a boil. Add the bay leaf, thyme, parsley and peppercorns. Lower the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes.
- Prepare the clams. Because they are notoriously sandy, soak them quickly in ice cold water, then scrub the outside of the shells with a soft-bristled brush to clean between the grooves. Rinse and repeat 3 to 4 times.
- Prepare the mussels. Rinse and scrub them the same way as the clams. Remove the beard (or byssal thread) by holding the mussel in one hand and a wet kitchen towel in the other. Grab the beard with the towel and pull toward the bottom of the shell to detach it.
- Add the clams, mussels and fish to the pot. Cook for 10 minutes, covered.
- The dish is ready when the clams and mussels have opened and the fish is just cooked through. Remove from the heat and discard any unopened clams or mussels.
- Adjust seasoning to taste. Serve and enjoy.