French Seafood Stew

Cook Time 1 hour

Servings 4

Ingredients

6 small Kipfler potatoes, cooked

2 x 200g pieces of blue eye 

250g vongole 

8 scallops

4-6 slices of baguette, toasted 

Soup base

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1kg raw medium prawns 

1 onion, chopped

1 carrot, sliced into rounds

1 small fennel bulb, chopped, fronds reserved

1 bouquet garnis (thyme, bay leaf and parsley), plus extra parsley to garnish

3 tbsp Pernod (or substitute with other anise liquors such as ouzo)

1 tbsp tomato paste

½ cup white wine 

1L fish stock 

Salt & pepper

Parsley, to serve

Rouille

2 egg yolks

1 tbs Dijon mustard 

1 pinch saffron

1 pinch paprika 

1 clove garlic, minced

60ml light extra virgin olive oil 

A few drops of lemon or vinegar

Method

Peel the prawns, discard the intestinal tract and reserve the heads and shells. Chill the prawn meat until later.

Heat oil in a large deep-sided pan over high heat and add the prawn shells and heads. Fry, crushing the shells with a wooden spoon, for 3-4 minutes until a deep red colour. Add the vegetables and bouquet garnis and fry for a further 5 minutes. Pour in Pernod and flambé. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for a minute, followed by the wine and cook, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to deglaze. Add fish stock and bring to a boil, then turn down and simmer for 20 minutes.

While the soup is cooking, make the rouille. Whisk the eggs, saffron, paprika, garlic and mustard with salt and pepper, then little by little add the oil to ensure a thick mayonnaise forms. Add a squeeze of lemon or vinegar. 

Remove bouquet garnis and transfer the soup, shells and all, in batches to a blender and puree until smooth.

Set a fine sieve back over the pan, tip the soup into the sieve and press down with the back of the wooden spoon to extract as much flavour as possible. Discard the pulp. 

Place the pan over medium heat. Add the potatoes, and blue eye, followed by the reserved prawns. Cook for a minute then add the vongole and scallops and gently poach seafood until the vongole open. 

Use a slotted spoon to arrange seafood and potatoes on a platter. Pour over the sauce. Spread rouille over toasted baguette and arrange around the platter. Sprinkle with parsley.