Denise says:

Imagine the view of a beautiful French Mediterranean port. The sun is shining, the sea is blue and you can smell the fresh fish in the harbour. Now think about the flavour of a fish meal prepared in one pot and you have Bouillabaisse.
Traditional bouillabaisse is not kosher as it includes seafood, but I have adapted my recipe without the damaging the essence. Bouillabaisse has no patience! Treat it as you would a soufflé – so seat your guests at the table and make them wait. The soup / stew should be piping hot, with a rich aroma, and the fish firm with the vegetables cooked but not disintegrating.
There are 2 stages, the stock base and the stew. The whole recipe can be shortened if you buy ready-made stock but this does not begin to compare with making your own.

Preparation Time:1 hour
Cooking Time: 40 minutes
Serves: 10 - 12 people

Ingredients:

For the Stock
Bones from 1 kg( 2.2lb) of assorted fish – hake, trout, sea bream, sea bass, cod, haddock and mullet, ( use the fish for the stew)
3 tablespoons – olive oil
2 leeks – finely chopped
1 onion – peeled and roughly chopped
3 cloves of garlic – peeled and finely chopped
2 sticks celery – trimmed and sliced
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons parsley
1 strip of orange peel
500g (1b 3 oz) ripe tomatoes
3.5 litres (6 pints) boiling water
1 tablespoon star anise
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Stew
500g (1lb 2 oz) potatoes - peeled and cut into slices
2kg of assorted fish
3 pinches of saffron threads
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 sticks of celery
2 tablespoons fresh thyme – roughly chopped
2 tablespoons fresh parsley- roughly chopped
2 red onions – peeled and roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves – peeled and roughly chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

For the stock
1)Heat the oil in a deep saucepan. Add the leeks, onions, garlic, tomatoes, celery and bones.
2)Sauté for 10 minutes and then add the boiling water, bay leaf, orange peel, star anise, parsley and salt and pepper. Continue to cook for 30 minutes.
3)Liquidise including the bones until smooth.

For the Stew
1)Heat the oil in a very large saucepan. Sauté the onions, celery, garlic and potatoes for 10 minutes.
2)Add the whole firm fish, saffron, stock, thyme and salt and freshly ground black pepper.
3)Bring to a brisk boil and cook quickly for 15 minutes.
4)Add the fish with delicate flesh- ie the fillets simmer for a further 5 minutes, then add the chopped parsley.
5)Serve immediately.

To serve the stylish way: Ladle the stew into large soup plates, with plenty of crusty bread.
Tagged in: Dinner Party, Fish, French, Low Fat, Parev