Bouillabaisse!

Warning: Spoilers everywhere!
Season 2, Episode: What Is Dead May Never Die

What Is Dead May Never Die! Yes, yes, but it can't be all death and drowning - pirates gotta eat too, right? Other than pirates and an occasional 'make the Iron Islands great again' kingsmoot, we don't see too much of the Ironborn culture but I like to imagine that a people so tied to the sea would also have an amazing sea based culinary tradition. When people think of the Iron Islands, do they say - "The Ironborn are insane, but the seafood there is AMAZING!" I'd like to hope so. At the very least, they must know how to make a good soup. So this week, we celebrate the Drowned God with 'a mess of fish' simmered in a delicate tomato broth. It's time for Bouillabaisse! Bless THAT with salt!

The first time I had bouillabaisse I was staying with a friend's family in their renovated farmhouse in the south of France. When we arrived, the kitchen was only partly finished so we improvised with a tiny, tiny charcoal grill and 2 electric hot plates set up on the outdoor patio. For two weeks, 5 adults and 2 small children ate very, very well with this very basic set up. One day my friend's mother, Annick, returned from the marché with a bag full of fish, ripe tomatoes and a food mill. She spent all afternoon preparing bouillabaisse for our supper that evening, which we ate on the outdoor patio under a summer sunset with fresh baguettes, salads, cheeses and as usual, a great amount of local wine. It was the perfect meal. I was, and am still, smitten with the magic of that evening.

I had accepted that something as magical and as French as bouillabaisse was surely too difficult for a mere home cook like me when I came across a recipe in Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything for a One-hour Bouillabaisse. ONE HOUR?! I had my doubts...but then again, Mark Bittman was my dude. His cookbook is basically my kitchen bible. Even if it wasn't authentic, it was still going to be very good. And it was. Really really good. Perhaps not my friend's French mother using a food mill in France authentic, but still it's easier than I expected and incredibly delicious. Et voila, this is now my go-to recipe for a seafood fete, in summer, eaten outdoors, with a crowd of friends.

Bittman states that in spite of the aura of mystery surrounding 'bouillabaisse' it really just comes down to "...a mess of fish cooked in broth." This is a good mantra to keep in mind if you start to get overwhelmed. This recipe is relatively simple, so everything depends on the quality of your ingredients. A good fish stock is key,  preferably homemade or the best you can buy - I get an excellent one from my local fishmonger (Fish King, if you're in the LA area.) The stock will make or break your soup. And of course, great quality seafood. Use a combination of your favorite seafood - white fish, like cod, snapper, halibut; mussels, clams, shrimp, scallops - and if your fish shop just happens to have beautiful fresh Santa Barbara shrimp on hand (as they did this time around) well, sometimes you just have to splurge.

​But what makes this recipe so French and so good, is this combination:  Orange zest, fennel seed, tarragon and a splash of Pernod (or Pastis). Pastis is the glass of something that you order when you happen to find yourself in a small medieval village with cobblestone streets at 2 in the afternoon; you stop at a small cafe by the courtyard, sit at a little table under the awning and sip this lovely milky colored Pastis over ice as you watch old men play Bocce under the shade trees (true story). Pastis is that golden French mid-afternoon sunlight, bottled and poured out in a glass. You may not like anise, detest licorice, but a little bit of this in your bouillabaisse is what brings the Frenchy magic. Trust me. (Don't worry, if you follow this blog, we will be using it again.)

One other thing, Bittman's recipe does not blend the broth, but in honor of my first French bouillabaisse and the memory of Annick cranking that food mill by hand, I blend my broth (with an immersion blender) before adding the seafood back into the broth. Blending emulsifies the components nicely and for me, makes for a more refined and flavorful broth. Served with bread grilled with olive oil and garlic and a dollop of rouille, this soup delivers the very best the Drowned God can offer. ​

Bouillabaisse
adapted from How To Cook Everything, by Mark Bittman
6-8 servings; about 1 hour cooking time (really.)
​

• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 cored, peeled, seeded and chopped tomatoes (canned are fine, include their liquid)
• 2 or 3 ribbons of orange zest, removed from an orange with a vegetable peeler
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
•  teaspoon minced fresh tarragon leaves or 1/4 tsp dried tarragon
• 5 springs fresh parsley
• 3 cups fish stock
• 1 cup white wine
• 24 small hard shell clams or mussels, well washed 
• 1 1/2 pounds fillet or steak fish, combination of halibut, cod, snapper, or sea bass cut into large chunks
• 1 1/2 pounds of shellfish, combination of scallops and shrimp
• 1/4 cup minced fresh basil leaves, plus more for garnish
• 1 tablespoon Pernod or Pastis (optional)
• 12 slices crusty French baguette
• 1 clove garlic, split in half, plus 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

​

1. Place 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large, deep saucepan or casserole and turn the heat to medium-low. A minute later, add the onion and cook, stirring, until it softens, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, orange zest, fennel seeds, tarragon and parsley. Stir to blend. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Add the stock and wine, turn the heat to high. Bring to a boil, cover and turn the heat to medium-low, cook for 10 minutes.
3. While the broth simmers, toast the rounds of bread in the oven until dried (about 20 minutes). Rub the toasts with the split clove of garlic and put a piece of bread in as many soup bowls as there are diners. Reserve the remainder to pass at the table.
4. Remove the orange zest from pot, and blend broth with an immersion blender until smooth. Add the zest back to the pot. (If using a blender, be careful to avoid accidents. Let the broth cool for a bit, and fill the blender or food processor up only halfway and blend in batches. It's a good idea to always hold a pot holder or towel over the lid when blending. Return the broth back to the pot.) 
5. Bring the soup back up to a simmer. Add the clams and/or mussels to the broth and continue to cook, covered, for about 5 minutes. Add the fish fillets to the broth and cook another 5 minutes. When the first of the clams begins to open, add the shellfish to the broth along with the garlic, basil, Pernod and the remaining tablespoon of olive oil.
6. Cover and cook for 3 to 5 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning. Spoon some fish and broth into each bowl over the toasted bread, garnish with a bit more basil and serve.