![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Thing Twenty-One: Bouillabaisse. Ish.
Oct. 18th, 2012 07:51 pmTonight, I made a pastis-scented seafood soup for dinner. It wasn't "real" bouillabaisse, but it was tasty!
I love anise flavor. I always have. I was the kid who'd eat all the black licorice jellybeans. OK, really, I still am. The first time I had bouillabaisse, it was at a restaurant in Milford, CT., with my boyfriend's family. They put a healthy splash of Pernod liqueur into the broth, which elevated it from a nice tomato-y fish soup to something truly special. Ever since then, I've been in love with this light-but-hearty, warming, and wonderfully flavorful dish.
The version that I made tonight started with julienned fennel and sliced onions. I sauteed them in olive oil until they started to get nice and tender, then added garlic. Somehow, the combination of garlic and fennel really says "PROVENCE" to me. I threw in a can of diced tomatoes, and some seafood broth. I love Penzey's seafood broth base. I don't use it all that often, but it provides wonderful flavor to seafood stews, sauces, and risottos.
I put the lid on the Dutch oven, and let that stuff come to a boil. I needed it nice and hot, because the next thing to go in was a bunch of halved baby new potatoes. I know, that's not traditional in bouillabaisse, but they're a more nutritious starch than the crusty white bread that I'd ordinarily serve with it. They added some nice body to the dish, as well. Once they got tender, then it was time to add the seafood.
I had picked up a dozen littleneck clams, a quarter pound of shrimp, and a quarter pound of mixed fish chunks (the cheap trimmings of various fish they had for sale) at Whole Foods. I'd made sure to scrub the clams and shell the shrimp in advance to make my life a bit easier. I underestimated how long it would take the clams to cook, unfortunately. If I'd planned better, I would have put them in first and left them in for a few minutes before adding the shrimp and fish. As it was, the fish broke up a bit more than I'd have liked, and the shrimp were slightly overcooked. Next time, better planning! But when those clams opened, I turned off the heat and poured in a good-sized slug of Pernod.
Tomato, garlic, seafood, and anise flavors blended together just right. It was a perfect dinner for a cool autumn night. Why don't I do this dish more often?
I love anise flavor. I always have. I was the kid who'd eat all the black licorice jellybeans. OK, really, I still am. The first time I had bouillabaisse, it was at a restaurant in Milford, CT., with my boyfriend's family. They put a healthy splash of Pernod liqueur into the broth, which elevated it from a nice tomato-y fish soup to something truly special. Ever since then, I've been in love with this light-but-hearty, warming, and wonderfully flavorful dish.
The version that I made tonight started with julienned fennel and sliced onions. I sauteed them in olive oil until they started to get nice and tender, then added garlic. Somehow, the combination of garlic and fennel really says "PROVENCE" to me. I threw in a can of diced tomatoes, and some seafood broth. I love Penzey's seafood broth base. I don't use it all that often, but it provides wonderful flavor to seafood stews, sauces, and risottos.
I put the lid on the Dutch oven, and let that stuff come to a boil. I needed it nice and hot, because the next thing to go in was a bunch of halved baby new potatoes. I know, that's not traditional in bouillabaisse, but they're a more nutritious starch than the crusty white bread that I'd ordinarily serve with it. They added some nice body to the dish, as well. Once they got tender, then it was time to add the seafood.
I had picked up a dozen littleneck clams, a quarter pound of shrimp, and a quarter pound of mixed fish chunks (the cheap trimmings of various fish they had for sale) at Whole Foods. I'd made sure to scrub the clams and shell the shrimp in advance to make my life a bit easier. I underestimated how long it would take the clams to cook, unfortunately. If I'd planned better, I would have put them in first and left them in for a few minutes before adding the shrimp and fish. As it was, the fish broke up a bit more than I'd have liked, and the shrimp were slightly overcooked. Next time, better planning! But when those clams opened, I turned off the heat and poured in a good-sized slug of Pernod.
Tomato, garlic, seafood, and anise flavors blended together just right. It was a perfect dinner for a cool autumn night. Why don't I do this dish more often?
