Bouillabaisse With Orange Zest Fennel And Saffron Recipes

BOUILLABAISSE

Steps:

• Thoroughly clean clams and mussels by scrubbing with a stiff brush. Remove any grit on the shells to keep it from getting into the soup, and pull off the fuzzy "beard". Any open shells that don't snap shut when you touch them should be discarded.
• You also need to scrub then soak your clams in salt water about 20 minutes to get them to spit the sand out.
• Cut your fish into bite-sized pieces using a sharp knife.
• Dice the onion and carrot into ¼" pieces, thinly slice 1 cup of fennel bulb, and finely mince 2 shallots and 6 cloves of garlic.
• Chop your parsley and zest your orange.
• Heat a large heavy pot on medium low heat and add olive oil.
• Once the oil is shimmering, sauté the prepared onions, shallot, carrot, fennel, and garlic until lightly golden and softened.
• Add in seafood stock, diced tomatoes with liquid, wine (optional), the strip of orange zest, thyme, parsley, tomato paste, salt, basil, saffron threads (crush between your fingers before adding), and a few turns of the pepper grinder.
• Bring the bouillabaisse liquid to a boil.
• Reduce the heat to a simmer (low bubble) and cook for 15 minutes.
• Add seafood (add squid last if using) and stir to combine. Simmer for an additional 10 minutes or until the shells are opened on the clams and mussels.
• Remove the thyme stems, and orange zest strip, then add additional salt and pepper to taste.
• Ladle steaming hot into bowls and top with additional fresh herbs for garnish.
• Pair the stew with crusty bread for dipping in that lovely broth and a fresh French salad.

MARK BITTMAN'S BOUILLABAISSE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400 degrees; brush bread liberally with olive oil, and bake on a sheet, turning once, until golden and crisp, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
• Add enough olive oil to a Dutch oven, deep skillet or shallow pot to make a thick layer (don't skimp) on the bottom. In it, cook onion, garlic, celery, carrot, potato, fennel and saffron until glossy. Add stock and tomato and bring to a moderate boil; cook until thick and stewy rather than soupy. Season to taste; it should be so delicious that you don't even care whether you add fish.
• Lower heat to a simmer, and, as you add fish, adjust heat so that the liquid continues to bubble gently. Add fish in order of how long they will take to cook. Monkfish, striped bass and squid are fish that might require more than a few minutes, so add them first. About five minutes later add clams and mussels, holding back any fish that has been cooked or will cook in a flash. When mollusks open, add remaining fish. Cut scallops into quarters and place in the bottom of 4 bowls.
• Add pastis if you're using it; taste and adjust seasoning. Ladle hot soup and fish over the scallops, distributing clams and mussels evenly. Garnish and serve with croutons and rouille, if you're using.

BOUILLABAISSE, SIMPLIFIED

Steps:

• 1. Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, onion, and fennel and saut until just brown, 5 to 10 minutes.
• 2. Add the saffron (if using), orange zest, tomatoes, and stock or clam juice.
• 3. Bring to a boil and cook until the vegetables are tender and the liquid is reduced by half, about 20 minutes.
• 4. Reduce heat to medium and add the fish (but not shellfish). Cook for about 2 minutes.
• 5. Add any clams, mussels, and shrimp. Simmer until the shells just begin to open, about 4 minutes more.
• 6. Add any crabmeat.
• 7. Cook until all shells have opened, the shrimp is pink and curled, and the fish flakes easily, about 2 minutes.
• 8. Serve from the pot, sprinkled with the parsley and topped with crusty bread and a dollop of rouille.

BOUILLABAISSE WITH ORANGE ZEST, FENNEL AND SAFFRON

Steps:

• Put olive oil in a casserole or large saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add zest, fennel, saffron and chili, and cook for about a minute. Add tomatoes, and turn heat to medium-high. When mixture boils, reduce heat to medium, and cook 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it becomes sauce-like.
• Add monkfish and raise heat to medium-high. When mixture boils, reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the monkfish begins to lose its rubbery quality, 10 minutes or so.
• Add clams, raise heat to high, and stir; when mixture boils, reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until clams begin to open, 5 to 10 minutes. Add shrimp and white fish, stir, and cover. Cook, stirring gently once or twice, until white fish is just about done (a thin-bladed knife will pierce it with little resistance), about 5 minutes. (If mixture is very thick, add a cup or so of hot water.) Stir in garlic, and cook 1 minute more. Stir in parsley and serve, with crusty bread.

BOUILLABAISSE BURGERS WITH TOMATO-FENNEL RELISH AND SAFFRON MAYONNAISE

Steps:

• For the relish:
• Combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl. Cover and chill until needed.
• For the mayonnaise:
• Combine the saffron threads and lemon juice in a small bowl and set aside to soak for 20 minutes to l hour.
• Transfer the soaked saffron to a blender. Add the mayonnaise and blend until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cover with plastic wrap and chill until serving time.
• For the patties:
• Spread the red snapper and shrimp evenly over the bottom of a large glass baking dish. Wearing kitchen gloves, or using a fork, gently mix in the egg whites, thyme, salt and pepper; combine together well. Mix in enough panko to bind the ingredients together and form into 6 equal patties to fit the slices of bread. Cover with plastic wrap and chill until needed, at least 30 minutes.
• Prepare a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill with a cover, or preheat a gas grill to medium-high.
• When the grill is ready, generously brush the grill rack with canola oil. Lightly brush both sides of each slice of bread with olive oil. Place the bread slices on the outer edges of the grill rack to toast lightly, turning once with tongs; set aside. Place the patties on the
• middle of the grill rack, cover, and cook for 3 1/2 to 4 minutes, turning once with a large spatula, until the patties are just cooked through; do not overcook.
• To assemble the burgers, spread about l tablespoon of the mayonnaise evenly over 1 side of each toast. Place a patty on 6 of the mayonnaise-coated toasts. Using a slotted spoon, evenly top each patty with the tomato-fennel relish. Add the toast tops, mayonnaise side down.