Bouillabaisse, seafood soup !!

My take on  Bouillabaisse with Rouille inspired by Julia Child.

Living on the bountiful Monterey Bay I finally got up the courage to make this wonderful seafood stew from the south of France. I found this recipe inspired by Julia Child, it is easier than I thought it would be mainly because I  already fish stock in my freezer. I made this for company a few weeks ago, they were very impressed !! I served it with my no-knead bread and homemade cheese.

The key to a good fish soup it the stock you use. I made mine a month ago from the shells of our holiday seafood feast: lobster, crab, shrimp...I cooked it with onions, celery, herbs. It smelled strong as it cooked in the stock pot but it was well worth it.
The recipe below includes making your fish stock the day you make the bouillabaisse.

Bouillabaisse
     1/2 cup olive oil
     1 cup each chopped onion and leek
     4 cloves mashed garlic
     2 or 3 large, ripe tomatoes*
     2 1/2 quarts water
    Fresh herb sprigs: thyme, parsley, fennel fronds and basil (in any combination)
    1/2 teaspoon saffron
     1 tablespoon sea salt
     3 - 4 pounds fish heads, bones, trimmings, shrimp shells or any other fishy stuff, crab shells, lobster shells...
     1 1/2 pounds each; shrimp, white fish like snapper or halibut cut into chunks, and debearded, scrubbed mussels or clams
 
Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat; add the onion and leek and cook gently until softened. Stir in the garlic and cook for a minute until fragrant, then add the tomatoes, herbs, saffron, salt . If you are making the stock now add fish bones and water or 2 1/2 quarts of fish stock. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat so that the broth bubbles slowly without boiling. Cook 30 minutes, then strain the broth into a large bowl or another pot and discard the solids.

Pour the broth back into the stockpot and bring to a boil. Add the shrimp and cook until they turn pink, a minute or two. Add the rest of the fish and shellfish, cover and simmer until the mussels or clams open. Taste the soup and add more salt and freshly ground pepper if needed. Serve the bouillabaisse with crusty bread and rouille on the side.
   
Rouille Sauce
    1 roasted and peeled red bell pepper*
    1 roasted hot red chile pepper or ground cayenne pepper to taste
    1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
    1 small peeled garlic clove
    1/4 cup almond meal (or fresh bread crumbs)
    1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves
    Fine sea salt, about 1/2 teaspoon or to taste
     1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Puree everything except for the olive oil in a food processor until smooth.
Slowly add the olive oil while processing to form a  paste.

* I take advantage of tomatoes and bell peppers when they are in season. I peel and freeze whole tomatoes and roast , peel and freeze whole red bell pepper. I used both in this recipe with great results. If they are not in season locally I would use a small can of stewed tomatoes and a red bell pepper from a jar, they will work just fine.