My fish soup is complicated (aren't they all?). I save stocks of all ilk in my freezer. I hauled out a big tub of shellfish stock from Fire Island 2012 out of the freezer and couldn't believe it was still good - and I mean delicious. Or course, it's only frozen liquid and, if kept perfectly frozen, there really isn't any reason why it should go bad or "south" as they say when talking "fish-speak!" Being multi-lingual is so impressive, don't you find?
There are many schools on fish soup: is it stew? Is it Bouillabaisse? Is it Cioppino? Is it Burrida? It really could be all of the above, but most of the aforementioned dishes require, if not demand, particular ingredients. Scorpion fish, eel, lobster, John Dory, etc., etc., etc., all factor into each of these dishes and in Marseilles, it is said that there is no one in complete agreement on what goes into La Bouillabaise vrai!
Considering that it is, in all forms, a fisherman's soup, made from what is caught in a day's take from the sea, it is highly likely that the origins are very humble and any and every fish and shellfish available to them was used to make this fragrant and delicious meal - and with Aioli and bread, it is indeed a meal!
I originally made the soup for Christmas Eve with cod, clams, and shrimp (sorry! no seven fishes this year!). And because I wanted to be just a little bit Venetian, I made risotto from the broth so there were onde (waves) in the bowl. What was leftover evolved over the week, with the addition of more stock, fish and shellfish, into a lunch, another dinner and finally, tonight, yet another soup with more stock from other fish (clams crayfish, cod and some octopus). With this fourth meal, the stock became so rich and dense with flavors of the sea that seasoning hardly mattered. Be that as it may, the crowning glory of this soup is the addition of Aioli in the bowl: thick, creamy mayonnaise studded with massive amounts of garlic, a little mustard, cayenne, lemon juice and saffron. I've found myself eating the stuff with a spoon on more than one occasion.
There are many schools on fish soup: is it stew? Is it Bouillabaisse? Is it Cioppino? Is it Burrida? It really could be all of the above, but most of the aforementioned dishes require, if not demand, particular ingredients. Scorpion fish, eel, lobster, John Dory, etc., etc., etc., all factor into each of these dishes and in Marseilles, it is said that there is no one in complete agreement on what goes into La Bouillabaise vrai!
Considering that it is, in all forms, a fisherman's soup, made from what is caught in a day's take from the sea, it is highly likely that the origins are very humble and any and every fish and shellfish available to them was used to make this fragrant and delicious meal - and with Aioli and bread, it is indeed a meal!
I originally made the soup for Christmas Eve with cod, clams, and shrimp (sorry! no seven fishes this year!). And because I wanted to be just a little bit Venetian, I made risotto from the broth so there were onde (waves) in the bowl. What was leftover evolved over the week, with the addition of more stock, fish and shellfish, into a lunch, another dinner and finally, tonight, yet another soup with more stock from other fish (clams crayfish, cod and some octopus). With this fourth meal, the stock became so rich and dense with flavors of the sea that seasoning hardly mattered. Be that as it may, the crowning glory of this soup is the addition of Aioli in the bowl: thick, creamy mayonnaise studded with massive amounts of garlic, a little mustard, cayenne, lemon juice and saffron. I've found myself eating the stuff with a spoon on more than one occasion.
Fish and Shellfish Soup
8 cups tomato flavored shellfish stock
1/4 cup olive oil
2 shallots sliced
1 onion, minced
2 shallots sliced
1 onion, minced
1 fennel bulb (stems and fronds minced, the body sliced and diced)
4 cloves garlic, smashed
4 cloves garlic, smashed
1 tsp. pulverized fennel seeds
1/2 tsp. pulverized anise seed
2 tbs. chopped fresh tarragon or 1 tsp. dried
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper (optional)
1 cup dry white wine (Pinot Grigio, Orvieto, even Soave will do, but not Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc)
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper (optional)
1 cup dry white wine (Pinot Grigio, Orvieto, even Soave will do, but not Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc)
1 packet powdered saffron
4 tbs. olive oil
1 lg. can peeled tomatoes (crushed with hands or passed through a food mill)
12 cups water
12 cups water
2 tbs. tomato paste
1 tsp. anise extract or 1/4 cup Pernod/Ricard
1 tsp. anise extract or 1/4 cup Pernod/Ricard
salt and pepper to taste
1 lb. salt cod (soaked for 2 days with frequent changes - every 5-6 hours - of cold water)
1-4 lobsters (depending on the number of people)
6-10 sea scallops (cut in half or quartered)
1 doz. little neck clams
12-18 mussels (if you like them)
1 lb. jumbo shrimp, cooked, peeled and deveined (shells used for the shellfish stock)
Varying amounts of squid and baby octopus according to taste and whim (optional)
In a very large stock pot, heat the olive oil until almost smoking. Add shallots, fennel, onion, and spices until the vegetables soften and become translucent. Mix the saffron with the white wine and pour into the pot. Cook down a bit. Add the shellfish stock and bring to the boil. Mix the extra olive oil with the crushed tomatoes and add that to the pot. Mix the tomato paste with the 12 cups water and pour that into the pot and bring to the boil once more.
Salt and pepper to taste and add the anise flavoring or the Pernod.
This can cook, covered at a very low simmer for an hour or so to blend favors. Do not add fish until you are almost ready to serve dinner, but if using octopus, you should cook those in the pot at least one hour before adding any of the other elements. Alternatively, you can cook the squid and the octopus separately, remove from the pot to clean off the dark skin on the octopus and slice up the meats for a prettire presentation at the end, but it should go back into the stock before serving.
Add the shell fish (shrimp, clams, mussels, and lobster*) and then the scallops and the fish. Cook for about 10 minutes or so. Correct seasoning with salt and pepper and if you like add more Pernod.
Serve in large bowls or deep dish plates with Aioli and baguettes.
*1-1/2 lb. lobsters require about 11 minutes in boiling liquid. If you don't want to throw live lobsters into boiling lava, take a large chefs knife or a meat cleaver and cut straight down the back from the eyes to the tail and separate the body before immersing it in the stock.
In a very large stock pot, heat the olive oil until almost smoking. Add shallots, fennel, onion, and spices until the vegetables soften and become translucent. Mix the saffron with the white wine and pour into the pot. Cook down a bit. Add the shellfish stock and bring to the boil. Mix the extra olive oil with the crushed tomatoes and add that to the pot. Mix the tomato paste with the 12 cups water and pour that into the pot and bring to the boil once more.
Salt and pepper to taste and add the anise flavoring or the Pernod.
This can cook, covered at a very low simmer for an hour or so to blend favors. Do not add fish until you are almost ready to serve dinner, but if using octopus, you should cook those in the pot at least one hour before adding any of the other elements. Alternatively, you can cook the squid and the octopus separately, remove from the pot to clean off the dark skin on the octopus and slice up the meats for a prettire presentation at the end, but it should go back into the stock before serving.
Add the shell fish (shrimp, clams, mussels, and lobster*) and then the scallops and the fish. Cook for about 10 minutes or so. Correct seasoning with salt and pepper and if you like add more Pernod.
Serve in large bowls or deep dish plates with Aioli and baguettes.
*1-1/2 lb. lobsters require about 11 minutes in boiling liquid. If you don't want to throw live lobsters into boiling lava, take a large chefs knife or a meat cleaver and cut straight down the back from the eyes to the tail and separate the body before immersing it in the stock.
Aioli
You can make your own mayonnaise if you like (see my recipe below), but if you're pinched for time, this is what to do:
5-12 cloves garlic (up to you)
2 cups Hellman's mayonnaise
Juice of one lemon
4 tsp. Coleman's Dry Mustard
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
a pinch of saffron or a small sprinking of saffron powder
Process the garlic in a food processor until it becomes a paste. Add the other ingredients and process until completely blended. It will be very thick. If you like, you can add a tbs. of heavy cream or a dollop of creme fraiche to soften the flavor. Either way strong and pungent or delicately picquant, it is delicious.
Bon appetit!
Mayonnaise
3 egg yolks
Juice of one lemon
2 tsp. white wine vinegar
2 cups canola and olive oil mixed together
Pinch of salt and white pepper
Tarragon (optional)
Worcestershire Sauce
Cayenne Pepper
Nutmeg
Paprika
Tabasco
Using an electric blender, heat the canister in boiling hot water. Dry out and add the eggs and blend. Add the juice and the venegar and blend until thick. Add the pinch of salt and using the center hole in the top of the blender start drizzling the oil a little bit at a time but in a constant stream. It will be very thick like custard if done properly. When you have achieved the mayonnaise state, add a dash each of the Worcestershire Sauce, the Tabasco, the spices and mix well. Correct seasoning if more salt is necessary, but remember, less is more and you can always add more later. Remove canister from machine and extract as much as you can with a rubber spatula and put into a large canister or glass jar. You should yield about 2 cups of mayonnaise. Refrigerate if not using immediately. Will keep in the refrigerator for a month.
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