Bouillabaisse for Lent

Now I’m not particularly religious and I’m not going to delve into why fish is the menu de riguer on Lent but I absolutely adore seafood and I’m not going to turn against tradition (for once!). Autumn has hit with a vengeance, and my love of hearty soup type dishes meant that the choice for this year was easy.

Bouillabaisse is a Provencal fish stew and it’s a comforting broth of vegetables, herbs, spices, shellfish and an array of fish. Traditionally up to seven varieties of fish were added to bouillabaisses but tonight I’ll just stick with three (not that I had a choice at the local fishmonger with their empty stockpiles).

The choice of fish is up to you but I recommend firm-fleshed, as there is more of a chance that the fish will stay intact while it’s cooking. Still, it's not the end of the world if the fish breaks up - it just adds to the rustic nature of the dish. Some suggestions are barramundi, snapper, whiting, mullet, haddock, cod or monkfish. Bottom line is, use whatever seafood takes your fancy as long as it’s fresh.

This is a recipe from Simply Recipes, which I found to be a little bland and watery so I adapted it as much as possible. I don't think it's the best recipe out there but it's a good base to start and add your own modifications to it.

Either way it is the perfect antidote to the cold weather outside. Serve it with crusty bread, a dollop of Rouille (recipe below) and a glass of crisp white and suddenly winter won’t seem so bad.

**Update** I just had a bowl of this the next day and I'm happy to report it is fabulous. My tip? Make it a day in advance and enjoy!



Ingredients (serves 6)

1.5 kg fish (up to 3 varieties preferably firm-fleshed) – cut into 4cm pieces
1kg mussels (clams can be used as well)
1 C of cooked seafood such as shrimp, crabmeat or lobster tails.

¼ C olive oil
1 large onion, finely sliced
2 leeks, white parts washed well and thinly sliced (shallots are a good substitute if leek isn’t available)
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 tomato, chopped
1 sweet red capsicum, chopped

1 tsp fennel seeds
4 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 tsp of dried thyme
2 small bay leaves
3 whole cloves
zest of half an orange
750ml fish stock
a few threads of saffron
2 tsps sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbl lemon juice
2/3 C white wine
crusty bread to serve

Method

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan until hot. Add the onions and leeks and sauté for a minute.

Add garlic, tomato and red capsicum and stir the vegetables well to coat with the oil.

Add a little more olive oil if needed, then add fennel seeds, thyme, bay leaves, cloves and orange zest and cook until onions have softened and slightly coloured (do not brown).

Add the fish and 2 cups (500ml) of the fish stock to the vegetables and herbs and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 10 minutes. Add the shellfish, cooked seafood, saffron, salt, pepper, the rest of the fish stock, lemon juice and white wine. Bring to a simmer again and cook for about 5 minutes more or until mussels have opened.

When ready to serve, taste and season more with salt, pepper or lemon if needed.

Spoon into dishes and serve with crusty bread and a dollop of Rouille.


Rouille

1 Tbl of hot fish stock
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 small red hot pepper
½ tsp salt
¼ C soft white bread (no crust), broken into small pieces
½ C olive oil

Method

Put hot fish stock into a blender and add garlic, red pepper, salt and bread. Blend until smooth. While blender is running, slowly add olive oil and stop the blender as soon as the oil is mixed in.