One of the most famous seafood soups is bouillabaisse — a Provençal French seafood stew that is absolutely delicious. It’s a hearty vegetable and seafood soup that’s perfect for soup season. Traditionally, it takes days to make, but this shortcut version can be made in under an hour! If you’re a seafood lover, this is for you.
Key Ingredients & Substitutions:
- Olive Oil – Unlike most regions in France, olive oil is the the main cooking fat in Provence. You can however use butter or other oil if you like.
- Onions, Celery, Carrots & Fennel – These are the vegetables used as the base of this soup. You can omit any that you like or add something like leeks.
- Tomato Paste and Canned Tomatoes – I prefer canned tomatoes for this recipe because they are canned at peak ripeness. But if you are making this in tomato season, you can definitely use fresh tomatoes.
- Scallops – I prefer jumbo scallops for this recipe.
- Shrimp – Traditional bouillabaisse keeps the shell on, however I like to have cleaned and deveined.
- Mussels – I prefer mussels over clams, so I use them for this recipe. You can also use clams!
- Halibut – I like halibut or sea bass for this recipe, however any white fish works!
@kellyscleankitchen How to make bouillabaisse #bouillabaisse #stew #soup ♬ Nice 'n' Easy - Frank Sinatra & Alan Bergman & Marilyn Keith
Bouillabaisse
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 1 Hour
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients:
- Olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 celery ribs, diced
- 2 carrots, diced
- 1 fennel, diced
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 tsp saffron
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 2 16 oz can diced tomatoes
- 3 cups fish stock
- 1 bay leaf
- 5 scallops
- 5 shrimp, cleaned and deveined
- 1/2 lb Halibut, cut into 2 inch cubes
- 1 lb mussels, cleaned
Preparation:
STEP 1.
In a pot over medium heat, add the olive oil. Once warm, add the onion, celery, carrots and fennel and saute until cooked through. Salt as you go and stir. This takes around 8 minutes to cook through.
STEP 2.
Stir in the garlic, saffron and tomato paste to coat the vegetables. Saute another 3 minutes until fragrant. Stir in the wine to deglaze the pan. Simmer for one more minute to cook out the alcohol.
STEP 3.
Stir in the diced tomatoes, fish stock and bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper to taste and bring the liquid up to a low simmer. Top the pot with the lid and simmer on low for 20 minutes to develop flavor.
STEP 4.
While that is simmering, season the scallops, shrimp and halibut with salt and set aside.
STEP 5.
After the 20 minutes is up, stir in the scallops, shrimp and halibut and simmer on low for 3 minutes. After the three minutes, stir in the mussels and simmer until the mussels have opened.
STEP 6.
Turn off the heat and serve!
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