Ann's Christmas Eve Bouillabaisse

This is my mom's recipe, and it is a treat. Most everyone wants second helpings (and even thirds)! For this recipe, a little saffron goes a long way and one can never have too much fennel; the seafood is suggested but you can change this recipe according to your taste!

• Preparation Time: 45 mins
• Cooking Time: 35 mins
• Total Time: 1 hr 20 mins
• Calories: 371 Calories

Ingredients

• ½ cup olive oil
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 bay leaf (Optional)
• 1 pinch saffron
• 24 sea scallops
• 3 leeks, sliced
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• 2 (8 ounce) bottles clam juice
• 1 pound red snapper fillets, cut into 2 inch pieces
• 2 ¾ cups dry white wine
• 2 teaspoons fennel seeds, crushed
• 30 small mussels, scrubbed and debearded
• 1 pound cooked lobster meat, cut into bite-size pieces

Recipe Instructions

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.