Bouillabaisse

by Ed Halmagyi

Ingredients

  • 2 brown onions, diced
  • 1 stick celery, diced
  • 6 cloves garlic, sliced
  • 4 fresh bay leaves
  • 6 juniper berries
  • 1 tsp fennel seeds
  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • ½ cup dry vermouth
  • 1L fish stock
  • 1L chicken stock
  • 6 large ripe tomatoes, chopped
  • 1 pinch saffron threads
  • ½ head fennel, finely diced
  • 24 basil leaves
  • ½ kg mussels, cleaned and de-bearded
  • 400g prawns, peeled and de-veined
  • 250g baby octopus, cleaned
  • 250g salmon fillet, diced
  • 1 cup each yellow beans and sugar snap peas
  • pumpkinseed oil and green radish shoots, to serve

Instructions

1 Set a large saucepan over a moderate heat and sauté the onion, celery, 4 garlic cloves, bay leaves, juniper and fennel seeds in half the olive oil for 10 minutes, until softened and beginning to stick to the base of the saucepan. Pour in the vermouth, simmer briefly, then add the stocks.
2 Bring the soup to a boil, then add the tomatoes and saffron. Turn the heat to low, then simmer for 1 hour, until reduced by ¼. Pas through a food mill, discarding the solids, then set aside.
3 Return the saucepan to a high heat and fry the fennel, basil and remaining garlic in olive oil until aromatic. Add the mussels and cook, stirring often, until they begin to open. Add the remaining seafood and soup, simmer briefly, then serve with pumpkinseed oil and green radish shoots.