Anns Christmas Eve Bouillabaisse Food

ANN'S CHRISTMAS EVE BOUILLABAISSE

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in the celery, garlic, leeks, thyme, and bay leaf; cook and stir until the vegetables have softened, about 5 minutes.
• Stir in the diced tomatoes, clam juice, white wine, fennel seed, salt and pepper, and parsley. Simmer for 15 minutes. Add the snapper and cook for an additional 10 minutes.
• Gently mix in the saffron, scallops, and mussels. Cook until the scallops are no longer translucent and the mussels have opened their shells, about five minutes. Add the lobster pieces and cook until heated through, about one minute.
• Ladle the bouillabaisse into serving bowls, making sure each portion contains 5 mussels, 2 to 3 sea scallops, fish, and a piece of lobster.

BOUILLABAISSE

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in large Dutch oven or flameproof casserole over medium heat. Add sausage, mushrooms and onions and cook, stirring frequently and breaking up sausage with a fork until sausage loses pink color, about 10 minutes.
• Stir in tomatoes. Bring mixture to boil.
• Reduce heat to low and simmer 5 minutes. Pour in wine and clam juice. Return mixture to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add basil and garlic and cook 5 minutes longer.
• Stock can be prepared ahead to this point. Either refrigerate until ready to use (usually 24 hours) or freeze.
• Before serving, transfer stock to a pot large enough to accommodate stock and shellfish. Bring to boil over high heat.
• Reserve half of the parsley for garnish and add remaining parsley to the pot. Add clams. Reduce heat to medium high and simmer until some clams open. Add remaining shellfish and simmer until done (about 5 - 10 minutes) DISCARD ANY CLAMS THAT DO NOT OPEN.
• Ladle into bowl and sprinkle with reserved parsley. Serve with fresh pasta.