The Lady’s Bouillabaisse
By Paula Deen
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Difficulty: Medium
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Servings: 15
Ingredients
- 1 lb mussels
- 2 lbs firm fresh or striped bass or another fish fillet grouper fillets
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
- 3/4 cup chopped onions
- 5 peeled and sliced ( or 1 cup canned Italian tomatoes) roma tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon fennel seed
- 1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons plus more for the bread and plating butter
- 2 1/2 cups boiling water
- 1/2 (8 oz) bottle clam juice
- 4 cut in 1/2 crab halves
- 1 lb unpeeled shrimp
- 1 loaf French bread
- pinch saffron
Directions
Wash and scrub the mussels in cold water.
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Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a large heavy pot. Add the mussels and cover the pot. * Steam for 6 to 8 minutes or until the mussels open. Discard any mussels that didn’t open. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Cut the fish into 1-inch thick slices.
Heat the oil in a large pot. Add the garlic, onions, tomatoes, fennel, saffron, salt and pepper. Add the mussel broth to the pot and 2 tablespoons of butter. Add the boiling water and clam juice. Bring to a rolling boil, add the crabs and fish, and continue to boil for 6 to 8 minutes. Add the mussels along with the shrimp, and boil for an additional 5 minutes.
Slice the French bread, butter it, and toast lightly. Serve the bouillabaisse in large individual bowls lined with toasted French bread; pile in the seafood and ladle the broth over it. Top each bowl with 1 tablespoon of butter. Pass the remaining bread at the table.
*Cook’s Note: If you like a spicier soup you may add a couple of whole hot peppers to the pot at the start of cooking.