Caprial's Bouillabaisse

This is a popular French classic simplified for the home kitchen. Use the very best seasonal seafood you can find and serve with chateauneuf du pape grenache blanc, crostini (recipe below) and rouille (recipe below). This recipe was adapted from Caprial's Soups & Sandwiches to serve 3 generous portions.

1 Tbs olive oil
1.5 leeks, white parts only, rinsed well and sliced crosswise
0.5 bulb fennel, julienned, the greens reserved for garnish
1.5 cloves garlic, minced
Pinch of saffron threads
0.5 cup dry white wine
Zest of 0.5 orange
4 cups fish or seafood stock
0.5lb halibut or other firm white fish
0.5lb sea scallops
0.5lb mussels or hard-shell butter clams
0.5lb prawns, peeled and deveined
1-1.5 vine-ripened tomatoes, seeded and chopped*
0.5tsp chopped fresh thyme
0.5tsp chopped fresh marjoram
0.5tsp Pernod or Anisette
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Heat the olive oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat until hot. Saute the leeks, fennel, garlic, and saffron threads until fragrant, 2-3 minutes. Add the wine and orange zest and cook over high heat until reduced by half, about 5 minutes, and then add the stock. When the stock begins to boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 8-10 minutes. Add the halibut and scallops, cover the pot with the lid, and cook until the fish is firm and opaque, about 2 minutes. Add the mussels and prawns. cover the pot with the lid, and cook until the mussels open and the prawns turn pink, 1-2 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, herbs, and liqueur, and cook until the tomatoes are just heated through, about 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and paper.

*Seeding Tomatoes:
Cut the tomatoes in half crosswise. Cup one tomato half in the palm of your hand and gently squeeze until the seeds spill out.

Rouille

A rouille is the traditional sauce drizzled over bouillabaisse. Although this makes more than you need for just three servings (it makes one cup), we love this so much, we always make the entire cup and munch on it for leftovers.

1/4 cup toasted bread crumbs*

1 egg

1/2 red bell pepper, roasted, peeled and seeded**

2 cloves garlic

1/4 cup chopped basil

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 tsp chile sauce

Juice of 1 lemon

1 tsp capers 

1 tsp salt

Place the bread crumbs in the bowl of a food processor. Add the egg and pepper, and puree until smooth. Add the garlic and basil, and process until smooth. With the machine running, add the olive oil through the feed tube. Process until emulsified. Add the chile sauce, lemon juice, capers, and salt, and process until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to use.

*Remove the crust from 1 slice of white bread and discard. Place the bread in a food processor and process until fine. Remove and toast.

**Preheat the broiler. Place the pepper on a baking sheet and broil, turning until the skin is evenly blistered and charred, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and set aside to cool. When it is cool enough to handle, peel off the skins, remove the stems, and wipe the seeds away. Do not rinse the pepper under running water because this washes away much of the roasted flavor.

Crostini

Makes about 20 slices.

1 baguette, sliced on the diagonal into 1/2" slices

1/4 cup olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

Preheat the oven to 350. In a small bowl, combine the olive oil and garlic. Place the bread slices on a sheet pan and drizzle with the olive oil mixture. Bake the crostini until golden brown, about 10 minutes.