Lately, I've kinda felt like a creeper with all of the bones I've been keeping in my freezer. I collected about a half dozen gallon freezer bags of different carcasses, and yesterday, it finally paid off.
Bouillabaisse has long been on my cooking bucket list, and I thought it was something I couldn't pull off. For years I've poured over cook books and watched cooking shows that made it seem like making this dish was a commitment. Our favorite restaurant in St. Augustine made a version that they claimed took like 12 hours just to simmer the broth. Yeesh.
Not to mention that a lot of the seafood that goes into bouillabaisse can be pricey. So it's not wonder that I've been hesitant to make it; UNTIL NOW.
Guys, I made a big ol' batch of the stuff for probably about $10. That's it. It was just enough to serve 3 adults and 2 hungry kids, and was pretty dang good. The hardest part really was, well, procuring the fish parts to make the broth in the first place. I saved up some fish heads and bones from my husbands last three fishing trips to make the broth, and I absolutely recommend it.
I created my budget version of this fancy French dish as a mish mosh of a few different recipe's I've read. Don't be intimidated and don't hesitate to tweak it for yourself. I can't wait to make this again and try a few different ingredient variations.
Ready to try? Here's what you need!
BROTH
Stock pot
Water
Fish heads and bones from 3-4 fish (fins, scales and guts removed)
Peppercorns
3-6 garlic cloves
A handful of peppercorns
2 stalks of celery
A dash of thyme
Add fish heads and carcasses to your stock pot and fill with water just to the point where everything is covered. Bring to a boil and simmer for 45-60 minutes. Strain and reserve for soup. If there's any good meat left off the bones or the fish heads, pick that off and reserve it to the side.
SOUP
Cast iron skillet (or whatever you've got! I recommend cast iron for this)
1 stick of salted butter
2 potatoes
2 medium onions
2 stalks of celery
2 carrots
2 medium tomatoes
12 oz. frozen seafood medley mix of shrimp, mussels, squid, octopus etc. (I got mine in the frozen seafood section at Publix)
1 tablespoon of garlic salt (or more to your taste)
1 teaspoon of white pepper (or more to your taste)
Dice all the veggies and saute in the butter until the onions caramelize (add tomatoes last). Season with garlic salt and white pepper, then add the frozen seafood mix and ladle in about 4 cups of broth, adding in any leftover fish from the carcasses. Simmer everything together for 15-20 minutes and serve with some french bread for dipping in the broth.
Easy! You can add some strands of saffron if you've got 'em, or switch up whatever kind of fish you want for the soup. Next time I make it I may add a splash of white wine to the veggies while they're cooking, and maybe make a cream sauce version in the future. Either way, I'm glad I finally gave this dish a try!
Reading this makes me want to go fishing.
ReplyDelete