Bouillabaisse

Name: Bouillabaisse
Yield: makes 4 servings
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon olive oil; 1 medium onion, roughly chopped; Strips of zest from 1 navel or other orange; 1 teaspoon fennel seeds; Pinch of saffron threads (optional); 1 small dried chile, or a pinch of cayenne, or to taste; 2 cups chopped tomatoes; 1/2 to 3/4 pound monkfish, catfish, or blackfish, cut into 1-inch cubes; 1 1/2 pounds hardshell (littleneck) clams, cockles, or mussels, well washed; 1/2 to 3/4 pound shrimp, peeled and, if you like, deveined, or scallops, cut into bite-sized pieces if necessary; 1/2 to 3/4 pound cod or other delicate white-fleshed fish, cut into 6 large chunks; 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic; 1/2 cup roughly chopped fresh parsley

December 20, 2011

Bouillabaisse, the Mediterranean fish stew that is more difficult to spell than to prepare, is traditionally neither an idée fixe nor the centerpiece of a grand bouffe, but a spur-of-the-moment combination of the day’s catch. The key to bouillabaisse is a variety of good fish of different types, so use this recipe as a set of guidelines rather than strict dogma and don’t worry about duplicating the exact types or quantities of fish.

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