Cornish Bouillabaisse

by Emily Scott, featured in Time & Tide

Published by Hardie Grant

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Introduction

This is my dream fishy supper — a seaside soirée just would not be the same without this showstopper, which is also great as a Sunday lunch. Cook with your favourite tunes and glass in hand. Simple and quick to make, colourful and delicious, this rustic stew will always be a winner for satisfying seaside cravings. Use whatever fish and shellfish you like — I’ve used Cornish gurnard, mussels and prawns (shrimp) — to dress it up or down. I also make more aioli than is strictly necessary to celebrate this wonderful dish.

As featured in

Time & Tide

Image of Emily Scott's Bouillabaisse — Photo by Kristin Perers

Ingredients

Serves: 4

Metric Cups

For the aioli

3 free-range egg yolks
1 squeeze of fresh lemon juice
1 garlic clove (peeled)
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 pinch of Cornish sea salt
200 millilitres sunflower oil
2 pinches of saffron strands steeped in 1 tablespoon of hot water

For the bouillabaisse

4 tablespoons good olive oil (plus extra for drizzling)
2 leeks (finely sliced)
1 fennel bulb (finely sliced - discard tough outer layers and reserve the fronds)
4 cloves garlic (crushed)
1 tablespoon tomato puree
1 pinch of saffron strands (steeped in a splash of warm water)
handful of basil leaves (plus extra to garnish)
zest and juice of 1 orange
100 millilitres Pernod or Noilly Prat vermouth
500 millilitres fish stock
2 x 400 grams tins of chopped tomatoes
1 kilogram live mussels (cleaned - discard any that are still open)
4 gurnard fillets (skin on and filleted – ask your fishmonger), cut in half (cod or monkfish would be good replacements)
250 grams shell-on prawns
Cornish sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

TO SERVE

slice of sourdough (toasted)

For the aioli

3 free-range egg yolks
1 squeeze of fresh lemon juice
1 garlic clove (peeled)
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 pinch of Cornish sea salt
scant 1 cup vegetable oil
2 pinches of saffron strands steeped in 1 tablespoon of hot water

For the bouillabaisse

4 tablespoons good olive oil (plus extra for drizzling)
2 leeks (finely sliced)
1 fennel bulb (finely sliced - discard tough outer layers and reserve the fronds)
4 cloves garlic (crushed)
1 tablespoon tomato puree
1 pinch of saffron strands (steeped in a splash of warm water)
handful of basil leaves (plus extra to garnish)
zest and juice of 1 orange
scant ½ cup Pernod or Noilly Prat vermouth
2 cups fish broth
2 x 14 ounces tins of diced tomatoes
2¼ pounds live mussels (cleaned - discard any that are still open)
4 gurnard fillets (skin on and filleted – ask your fishmonger), cut in half (cod or monkfish would be good replacements)
9 ounces shell-on shrimp
Cornish sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

TO SERVE

slice of sourdough (toasted)

Method

Cornish Bouillabaisse is a guest recipe by Emily Scott so we are not able to answer questions regarding this recipe

For the aioli

Place the egg yolks in a food processor and add the lemon juice, garlic, mustard and a good pinch of sea salt. Whizz until just combined.
Measure the sunflower oil into a jug, then — with the motor of the food processor still running — pour the oil slowly in through the funnel in a fine, slow stream until all of it is incorporated and it has emulsified.
Fold the steeped saffron through the mayo until you achieve a burnished golden hue (or the colour ‘tarky’, as I know it). Taste for seasoning and use immediately, or store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

For the bouillabaisse

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan that has a lid over a medium heat, add the leeks, fennel and garlic, and sauté until softened, then add the tomato purée and stir gently for 2–3 minutes.
Add the steeped saffron, basil, orange zest and juice, Pernod or vermouth, fish stock and chopped tomatoes, and simmer for 10–15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the mussels to the sauce, cover the pan with the lid and cook for 5–6 minutes until they have opened. Remove the mussels with a slotted spoon (discard any unopened ones at this point) and set aside in a bowl.
Transfer the sauce to a food processor or blender and blitz until smooth, then pour the sauce back into a large clean pan and simmer uncovered for 8–10 minutes until reduced.
Meanwhile, remove most of the mussels from their shells, reserving a few in their shells for garnish (3 per person). Season the sauce with some sea salt and black pepper, then place the gurnard fillets, skin-side up, into the sauce along with the prawns and cook for 3–4 minutes until the fish is cooked through and the prawns have turned pink.
Finally, add the cooked mussels and mussels in their shells back to the pan to warm through. Divide the bouillabaisse between four warm bowls and finish off with a few extra basil leaves, the reserved fennel fronds and drizzle of olive oil.
Serve with sourdough croutons and saffron aioli.

For the aioli

Place the egg yolks in a food processor and add the lemon juice, garlic, mustard and a good pinch of sea salt. Whizz until just combined.
Measure the vegetable oil into a jug, then — with the motor of the food processor still running — pour the oil slowly in through the funnel in a fine, slow stream until all of it is incorporated and it has emulsified.
Fold the steeped saffron through the mayo until you achieve a burnished golden hue (or the colour ‘tarky’, as I know it). Taste for seasoning and use immediately, or store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

For the bouillabaisse

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan that has a lid over a medium heat, add the leeks, fennel and garlic, and sauté until softened, then add the tomato purée and stir gently for 2–3 minutes.
Add the steeped saffron, basil, orange zest and juice, Pernod or vermouth, fish broth and diced tomatoes, and simmer for 10–15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the mussels to the sauce, cover the pan with the lid and cook for 5–6 minutes until they have opened. Remove the mussels with a slotted spoon (discard any unopened ones at this point) and set aside in a bowl.
Transfer the sauce to a food processor or blender and blitz until smooth, then pour the sauce back into a large clean pan and simmer uncovered for 8–10 minutes until reduced.
Meanwhile, remove most of the mussels from their shells, reserving a few in their shells for garnish (3 per person). Season the sauce with some sea salt and black pepper, then place the gurnard fillets, skin-side up, into the sauce along with the shrimp and cook for 3–4 minutes until the fish is cooked through and the shrimp have turned pink.
Finally, add the cooked mussels and mussels in their shells back to the pan to warm through. Divide the bouillabaisse between four warm bowls and finish off with a few extra basil leaves, the reserved fennel fronds and drizzle of olive oil.
Serve with sourdough croutons and saffron aioli.

Additional Information

COOK’S NOTE:
Keep this as sustainable and local as possible, talk to your fishmonger about what is best to use. Once upon a time, it seemed only good enough to use as bait in lobster and crab pots, but gurnard has made a comeback over the last few years. A white, firm-fleshed fish, it works so well in stews and is a great fish to batter for your Friday fish supper. I will always champion the gurnard.