Bouillabaisse Fish Soup

Easy Homemade Italian Fish Soup with large chunks of all your favorite fish, including haddo shrimp, mussels, and clams, all in a perfectly spiced tomato broth. A delicious comfort dish that is both stew and soup!

Have you ever cooked something and thought, “Oh my god, this is so amazing, I have no idea why the hell I don’t make it more often” as you were eating it? In fact, I stated just this while consuming this bowl of Italian fish soup.

Ingredients:

• 1/3 c Bertolli Extra Virgin olive oil
• 3 lbs. red snapper –cut into chunks
• 1 lb. monkfish -cut into chunks
• 1/2 lb. mussels –washed and cleaned
• 1 lb. baby clams –washed and cleaned
• 4 qt. vegetable stock or seafood stock
• 1 pinch saffron threads
• 2 celery stalks –diced
• 3 leeks –diced (whites only)
• 1 large onion- diced
• 5 garlic cloves –minced
• 1 large fennel bulb -thinly sliced
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 strips of orange peel
• 4 roma tomatoes -diced
• 1 tbsp. salt + more to taste
• ½ tsp. red pepper flakes +more to taste
• Black pepper to taste
• Cayenne pepper to taste
• 8 cooked langoustine or European lobster – Optional

Directions:

1. Heat up the stock, remove from heat and add the saffron threads to
   infuse it.
2. In a large heavy bottom stockpot heat up the olive oil over medium
   flame. Add the diced onion with a pinch of salt and let it sweat for 5
   minutes. Add the red pepper flakes, fennel, leaks, celery, orange peel,
   bay leaves, tomatoes and the garlic. Add the cayenne pepper, the rest
   of the salt and give everything a good stir.
3. Arrange the red snapper and monkfish pieces on top of the vegetables
   in the pot then gently pour the saffron infused stock over them. Bring
   to a simmer, cover and allow to cook for about 5 minutes until the fish
   is almost cooked.
4. Add the clams and mussels, cover and cook an additional 5 minutes or
   until the fish is cooked through and all clams and mussels have opened.
5. Adjust seasoning and carefully ladle into bowls and serve hot with a nice drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Note: If using langoustine in the bouillabaisse make sure to add them to the pot a few minutes before removing from flame so they get a chance to warm through with the rest of the seafood.