When cooking for our business, Sandy is a stickler when it comes to proper mise en place. This is a French phrase meaning "everything in place," and it refers to having all your ingredients prepped, measured, and ready to go before you start cooking. With recipes that have many ingredients, such as this bouillabaisse, you will find that taking the time to do the prep first will actually save you time in the long run. When everything is laid out in front of you, you'll be more organized and efficient. (Plus, you will look like a real chef!)
Serves 8

Ingredients

  • ¼ cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
  • 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
  • 1 red bell pepper, chopped
  • 6 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 (46-ounce) can tomato juice
  • 1 large tomato, chopped
  • 3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
  • 1 Tbsp. packed light brown sugar
  • 1 Tbsp. Sriracha hot sauce
  • 2 tsp. grated orange zest
  • 1 tsp. curry powder
  • 3/4 tsp. dried thyme
  • 1/4 tsp. saffron threads
  • 2 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 cup dry white wine
  • 3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 3 pounds seafood (such as 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined; 1/2 pound crab meat, flaked; 1/2 pound sea scallops, quartered; 1 pound flaky white fish, such as snapper or cod)
  • 1 loaf French bread, sliced and toasted

Directions


Preheat the oven to 400°F.

In a heavy, ovenproof Dutch oven, melt the butter. Add the onion, bell pepper, and garlic, and sauté until they begin to soften, about 8 minutes. Add the tomato juice, tomato, flour, brown sugar, hot sauce, orange zest, curry powder, thyme, saffron, salt, and black pepper, and stir until well combined. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring often. Reduce the heat to medium so the mixture is at a gentle simmer. Add the wine, lemon juice, 1/4 cup parsley, and the bay leaves. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 to 15 minutes. Taste for seasoning. If you would like to brighten flavors, add a bit more lemon juice.

Add the seafood to the pan, stirring gently so as not to break up the fish. Place the pot in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes or until the fish pieces are cooked through and flaky.

To serve, place two pieces of toasted bread in the bottom of eight large soup bowls. Ladle the bouillabaisse over the bread and garnish with the remaining 2 tablespoons parsley. Serve immediately.

Reprinted with permission from The Casserole Queens Cookbook by Crystal Cook and Sandy Pollock, copyright © 2011. Published by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc.

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