Miami Spiced Bouillabaisse

Ingredients

For the broth:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 1 yellow pepper, chopped
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon Aji Amarillo
• 1/4 teaspoon seeded and minced habanero pepper
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 1/4 fennel, chopped
• Large pinch saffron
• 1/4 cup dry sherry
• 4 cups clam juice or lobster stock
• 1/4 cup heavy cream

For the seafood:

• Olive oil
• 4 dry scallops
• 8 clams
• 4 head on shrimp, cleaned and deveined
• 4 (U-10) shrimp, cleaned and deveined
• 8 ounces fresh snapper, cut in small pieces
• 8 mussels
• 8 razor clams, if available
• 8 Taylor bay scallops, in the shell, if available
• 4 teaspoons chopped cilantro leaves
• Freshly squeezed lime juice, to taste
• Salt and pepper

Directions

For the broth: Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, peppers, Aji, habanero, garlic, fennel, and saffron and saute, stirring constantly, until just soft. Deglaze with sherry, and reduce by 1/2. Add the lobster stock and reduce half way down. Add the cream. Allow to come to a boil and remove from the heat. Allow to cool, puree in a blender.

For the seafood: In a large deep saute pan with large surface area, heat olive oil. On medium heat, add scallops, clams, head on shrimp and cook for 1 minute. Add shrimp, snapper, mussels, razors, and bay scallops. Add broth and cook seafood until shrimp is tender and clams are open. Finish with cilantro and lime juice and season with salt and pepper.