Ann's Christmas Eve Bouillabaisse

Ingredients

½ cup olive oil

2 stalks celery, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

3leeks, sliced

1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

1bay leaf(Optional)

1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes

2 (8 ounce) bottles clam juice

2 ¾ cups dry white wine

2 teaspoons fennel seeds, crushed

salt and ground black pepper to taste

3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1 pound red snapper fillets, cut into 2 inch pieces

1 pinch saffron

24sea scallops

30small mussels, scrubbed and debearded

1 pound cooked lobster meat, cut into bite-size pieces

Directions

Step 1

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in the celery, garlic, leeks, thyme, and bay leaf; cook and stir until the vegetables have softened, about 5 minutes.

Step 2

Stir in the diced tomatoes, clam juice, white wine, fennel seed, salt and pepper, and parsley. Simmer for 15 minutes. Add the snapper and cook for an additional 10 minutes.

Step 3

Gently mix in the saffron, scallops, and mussels. Cook until the scallops are no longer translucent and the mussels have opened their shells, about five minutes. Add the lobster pieces and cook until heated through, about one minute.

Step 4

Ladle the bouillabaisse into serving bowls, making sure each portion contains 5 mussels, 2 to 3 sea scallops, fish, and a piece of lobster.

Cook's Note

I buy cooked shrimp to save time. If you want to add shrimp to your bouillabaisse, stir it into the soup just long enough to reheat.

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