Bouillabaisse (French Seafood Stew)

Steps

1. Gather all the ingredients.

2. In a small bowl, combine ½ tsp saffron and ½ cup dry sherry. Set aside.

3. Prepare the vegetables. Dice 1 onion and mince 1 shallot. Thinly slice the fennel so you have 1 cup fennel bulb. Mince 1 rib celery and dice 1 carrot. Next, cut 1 lb white fish into bite-sized pieces.

4. Prepare and clean 2½ lb seafood mix as necessary. Here, I used a great frozen seafood medley pack from Costco. It saves quite a bit time not having to clean and cut the seafood.

5. In a large pot (I use a big Le Creuset pot), heat 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil on medium heat. Add 6 cloves garlic (minced) and all the prepared vegetables (the onion, shallot, fennel, celery, and carrot). Sauté on low heat until lightly golden brown, about 20 minutes.

6. Add the seasonings: 1½ Tbsp tomato paste, 2 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt, 1 tsp basil, 2 Tbsp parsley, and freshly ground black pepper. Mix well.

7. Now, add all the liquids: 1 can diced tomatoes with juice, 2 cups clam juice, the juice from 1 jar oysters, and the saffron-infused sherry. Bring it to just a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

8. Add all the seafood. When the soup starts to boil, skim off the scum and foam from the soup. Simmer for 15 minutes. Skimming is very important to have a clear soup with a refined taste.

9. Serve in individual bowls. Garnish with chopped parsley and optional crushed red pepper (red pepper flakes) and serve immediately with fresh French bread on the side.

10. You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container or in the pot and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.