Bouillabaisse Tacoma Kim Farley

This recipe was gleaned from an old cookbook published by Sunset Magazine in 1957 “Cooking Bold and Fearless, Chefs of the West.” It is presented as the “pure quill.” The basic ingredients of bouillabaisse never change ... olive oil, garlic and saffron. Any variety of fish may be used. The French often select four or five different kinds of fish, and three or more types of shellfish. The proportion is usually 2:1—twice as many pounds of fish as shellfish, but you can pile in whatever fish you like in quantities that please you most.

Ingredients for the Broth:

2 leeks 4 cloves garlic 2 medium carrots 1 pinch saffron 1 onion 1 Tab. chopped parsley 4 tomatoes, peeled 3 tsp. salt ¼ c. olive oil ½ tsp. nutmeg 5 cups of water ½ tsp. pepper 5 cups of tomato juice 6 drops Tabasco

Chop vegetables and sauté slowly in the oil until softened. Add liquids and spices and allow to simmer 4-5 hours. Do not boil.

For the fish, as an example: 1 ½ lbs. Snapper 1 ½ lbs. Cod 1 ½ lbs. Halibut or Sea Bass (some folks even use Salmon)

Cut fish into bite-size pieces; remove any bone, array on platter. Add shellfish to the platter, and hold in refrigerator.

20 or 30 clams (2 per guest) Oysters (if you so desire) 1 ½ lbs. green shrimp (under 25 is good) 1 ½ lbs. lobster meat (langostino is ok) (crab is also ok)

Before Serving: about 20-25 minutes before you are ready to serve, place fish in broth and adjust heat to maintain simmer. Once simmering restores, wait five minutes and add the shellfish. Don’t let the mixture boil, as this tends to break up the fish. Serve in a soup plate with plenty of crusty garlic bread on the side. You might like an optional green salad. This will easily serve 10 average people, but only 8 enthusiasts. Enjoy!