Seattle Style "Bouillabaisse"

Ingredients

• 6 (2-ounce) salmon fillets
• 6 (2-ounce) halibut fillets
• 12 scallops
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 sweet onion, diced
• 1 fennel, diced
• 1/2 tablespoon minced garlic
• 12 shrimp or prawns, (21/25 per pound), peeled and deveined
• 12 mussels
• 12 Manila clams (Little Neck may be substituted)
• 12 oysters, Pacific yearling, petite (your favorite may be substituted)
• 6 cups lemon verbena broth, recipe follows
• 9 fingerling potatoes, boiled and halved
• 6 red teardrop tomatoes, halved
• 6 yellow teardrop tomatoes, halved
• 2 red beets, blanched, peeled, cut in eighths
• 2 golden beets, blanched, peeled, cut in eighths
• 12 baby carrots, peeled and blanched
• 3 tablespoons bouillabaisse butter, recipe follows
• 12 Red Rock crab legs, cooked (Dungeness may be substituted)
• 6 sprigs lemon verbena, for garnish
• 1 tablespoon herb mix, recipe follows

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Grill the fillets to obtain marks to sear in juices and set aside. In a hot saute pan with light oil, sear the scallops to seal in the juices and set aside as well. Do not cook fish and scallops through, cooking will be completed later on.

In a saute pan with olive oil, caramelize the onions and fennel. Add garlic, prawns, and shellfish and continue to saute. Add the oysters and lemon verbena broth. Cook until the shellfish are open.

Add fingerling potatoes, teardrop tomatoes, beets, and carrots. Stir in the 3 tablespoons of compound butter. Add rock crab and continue to simmer for 3 minutes. Place fish and scallops in the oven for 2 to 3 minutes to finish cooking. Spoon bouillabaisse into a bowl, and then add grilled fish and scallops.

Garnish with chopped herbs and sprigs of verbena.

Verbena Broth:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 diced sweet onion
• 1 diced fennel top
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 quarts fish fumet (stock)
• 2 bunches whole verbena

In a saucepot heat olive oil and sweat the onions. Then add fennel tops and fumet. Bring to simmer, reduce heat, and continue to cook for 15 minutes.

Take off heat and add verbena. Let sit for 15 minutes. Then cool in ice bath as soon as possible. Strain when cool and refrigerate until needed.

Bouillabaisse Butter:

• 2 pounds softened whole butter
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 2 oranges, zested and juiced
• 1 tablespoon ground star anise
• 1 tablespoon saffron threads
• 1 tablespoon toasted and ground fennel seed
• 1 1/2 tablespoon Chimayo chili powder
• 2 tablespoons herb mix, recipe follows
• Kosher salt

Mix all ingredients in a stainless steel bowl when the butter is soft. Store refrigerated.

Herb Mix:

• 1 tablespoon chopped fennel fronds
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives

In a small bowl, mix all herbs together. Use for garnish.

This recipe was provided by professional chefs and has been scaled down from a bulk recipe provided by a restaurant. The FN chefs have not tested this recipe, in the proportions indicated, and therefore, we cannot make any representation as to the results.