Western Australian Bouillabaise

In the interests of being precise (okay, and pedantic as usual) I really should call this a Mediterranean-Style Fish Stew instead of a Bouillabaise, although essentially that's what it is - a hearty fish soup/stew with leeks, celery, tomatoes, saffron, olive oil and a range of fish and shellfish.  However apparently it can't be a "proper" Bouillabaise unless it has certain fish found only in France (rouget, rascasse, etc etc) ... also my cooking method differs somewhat to the "real thing" (but I think it's better) so nyah to the purists!

Serves 4.

Ingredients:

Method:

First, make the broth.  Wash the fish heads.  Behead and shell the prawns, leaving a little of the tail shell on and reserve the flesh.  Behead and remove the shell of the crayfish (use scissors to cut the shell off the tail part), reserving the flesh and big claws.  Heat a little olive oil in a stockpot.  Put in the fish heads and crustacean heads and shells, add the finely chopped vegetables, water and seasoning and bring to a lively simmer (not a rolling boil though).  Simmer for twenty minutes or so (fish stocks don't need as much cooking as others, being of a more delicate nature), then drain well, reserving broth.  Keep broth warm and at the ready.

In a large saucepan or stockpot warm a few tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and melt the garlic, leeks, celery, stirring constantly so they get well drenched in olive oil and don't burn.  Then add the tomatoes, the white wine and the reserved fish broth, the cayenne pepper or chill flakes for bite, and the saffron.  Bring to a fierce rolling boil - the point being to combine the broth and oil and all the flavours and also to reduce the liquid.  Bubble for 20 minutes or so, giving it the occasional stir. 

In the meantime, slice up the seafood.  I like quite big bits of fish in this as they're nicer to get your teeth into and look better served up, and also it's inevitable that the fish will break up a little in the cooking and stirring.  Eg, 5 cm pieces is about right.  Leave the prawns whole, or cut in half lengthwise if particularly big.  Clean and scrub the mussels.  Chop the crayfish tail into chunks, and crush the big claws with a mallet or heavy knife (this makes it easier to pick/slurp out the flesh when eating).

Turn the heat under the soup down to a calmer simmer and start adding the seafood to the broth; firm fish first then five or so minutes later the softer fish.  Combine well with broth but ensure the fish doesn't get too broken up.  Add the prawns, squid, and crayfish.  Stir in the chopped parsley, tarragon and chives.  You can add a little more water if it doesn't look quite soupy enough (or if you like lots of broth, like me).  Cook for about 10 minutes then add the mussels, and cook until they open.  As per usual discard any that don't open. 

To serve:  Ladle seafood into big deep white bowls, distributing fish and crustaceans evenly, then pour over a couple of ladlefuls of the broth.  Drizzle with basil and garlic oil (say, in a zig-zag or spiral pattern).  As this is more of a soupy stew than a soup, serve with lots of crusty French bread, toasted if you like, though I prefer untoasted bread as it does a much better job of absorbing and mopping up all those yummy juices.  You can also rub the bread with a clove of garlic and dribble a little olive oil over it, but that's optional (and again I prefer not - there's enough flavours going on without it). 

I reckon this goes best with a soft red wine eg a pinot noir or merlot, rather than a white, as it's quite gutsy.

You can use pretty much what seafood you like in this recipe; the key ingredients are the olive oil, saffron and tomatoes, and fish broth, otherwise anything goes so you can cut out or add fish and shellfish as you wish.  I have made it using just fish and it's still delicious, but I like the taste and texture of crustaceans and bivalves in it; plus it looks pretty special.  Just take relative cooking times into consideration when adding the fish.  And enjoy!