Shellfish Bouillabaisse

So what can I do for New Year’s Eve? This tried and true recipe is certain to impress your guests. Yeah, I know that seafood can be expensive, but what the heck? Buy cheaper wine…LOL. As always my changes are noted in red….if you follow the recipe it should feed 8 people…

Shellfish Bouillabaisse (Adapted from Food Network’s Emeril Lagasse)

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 pound chorizo, cut into 1-inch pieces (if you can’t find this use a good Italian sausage)
• 3 cups julienne onions
• 2 cups diced potatoes, blanched
• 1 cup julienned red peppers
• 1 cup julienned yellow peppers
• 1/4 cup minced garlic
• Essence, recipe follows or Old Bay Seasoning
• 4 cups chopped peeled and seeded tomatoes or use 3 cans of chopped
• 6 bay leaves
• 1 pound lobster, split or (I bought four medium lobster tails and split them in half, leaving the shell on)
• 2 pieces of a good white fish cut into chunks (optional)
• 1/4 pound shrimp, peeled and tail on (I take the tails off)
• 1/4 pound mussels or scallops (I used 8 and cut them in half as well)
  
• 1 cup white wine
• Few threads of saffron
• 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons chopped green onions
• Small loaf of crusty bread

Directions

In a Dutch oven, heat the olive oil. When the oil is hot, render the sausage for 2 minutes. Remove the sausage and set aside. In a mixing bowl, toss all the vegetables with the garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Place one third of the vegetables evenly on the bottom of the pot. Place one third of the tomatoes and 2 of the bay leaves on the vegetables. Lay the lobsters, meat side down and the soft-shells on top of the tomato mixture. Sprinkle 1/2 of the chorizo over the lobster. Layer 1/3 of the vegetables and tomatoes on top of the lobsters and chorizo. Season the shrimp with Essence. Lay the shrimp over the tomatoes. Layer the remaining 1/3 of the vegetables and tomatoes over the shrimp. Layer 1/2 of the chorizo over the shrimp. Lay the mussels or scallops over the tomatoes. Add the fish chunks. Add the wine, saffron and parsley. Cover the pot and cook for 30 minutes. Ladle the bouillabaisse in an over-sized platter. Garnish with the aioli, green onions and crusty bread.

Essence (Emeril’s Creole Seasoning):

• 2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.  Yield about 2/3 cups.

Author: reg45

Canadian guy living part time in Progreso, Yucatan. View all posts by reg45