Simple Bouillabaisse (French Seafood Stew)
This simple bouillabaisse recipe is a French seafood stew that is made in under an hour! The seafood simmers with tomatoes, saffron and herbs creating an irresistible recipe.
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 366kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 leek thinly sliced and washed well
- 1 small fennel sliced
- 4 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 large tomatoes chopped
- 3-4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 pinch saffron
- 1 large piece of orange peel
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 cups seafood stock
- 1 pound halibut cut into 2 inch pieces
- 1 pound clams and/or mussels cleaned and scrubbed well
- ½ pound scallops about 6-8 scallops
- ½ pound medium sized shrimp
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon Ground black pepper
- Chopped parsley leaves, finely chopped for garnish
Instructions
- Bring a large wide Dutch oven to medium heat and add olive oil and butter.
- Once melted, add the sliced leeks and fennel and sauté until softened and fragrant, but not browned. about 2-3 minutes.
- Add the chopped garlic and sauté for another minute. Stir the tomato paste into the garlic for another 30 seconds.
- Add the chopped tomatoes, with their juices along with the saffron, and give everything a good sauté for another 3-4 minutes until the tomatoes begin to soften and release their juices.
- Pour the seafood stock in and nestle in the fresh thyme, bay leaf and orange peel. Simmer for 15-20 minutes.
- While simmering, add the fish that take longer to cook, the halibut and simmer for 3-4 minutes.
- Next, add the mussels and clams and and continue cooking for another 3-4 minutes.
- Then add scallops and continue cooking for another 2-3 minutes and finally, add the shrimp and continue cooking for another 2-3 minutes until the shrimp are just cooked through. At this point, the fish should be cooked through and mussels and clams just opened.
- Remove the bouillabaisse from heat and taste broth for seasoning.
- Ladle the bouillabaisse into bowls with assorted fish and garnish with chopped parsley
Notes
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- Not all seafood cooks at the same time. Add the thicker pieces first, then gradually add the more delicate seafood, such as shrimp and scallops towards the end.
- Scrub clams and mussels with a seafood scrubber or something similar.
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- Thicker fillets of halibut and salmon should simmer for 10-12 minutes at the most.
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- Keep the seafood on ice and in the refrigerator until ready to use.
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- Cook fresh seafood within 24 hours of buying. For another Seafood recipe with an Italian Spin, try my Halibut Piccata or my Lemon Butter Lingcod.
Nutrition
Calories: 366kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 38g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 89mg | Sodium: 1478mg | Potassium: 1363mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 1448IU | Vitamin C: 26mg | Calcium: 158mg | Iron: 3mg