Seattle Style "Bouillabaisse"
- Level: Intermediate
- Yield: 6 servings
- Total: 45 min
- Prep: 30 min
- Cook: 15 min
Ingredients
Six 2-ounce salmon fillets
Six 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
Lemon 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
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
Herb Mix:
1 tablespoon chopped fennel fronds
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
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.
Lemon Verbena Broth:
- 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:
- Mix all ingredients in a stainless steel bowl when the butter is soft. Store refrigerated.
Herb Mix:
- In a small bowl, mix all herbs together. Use for garnish.