Clam, Shrimp and Crab Bouillabaisse - Requiring No Refrigerated Ingredients

By Lori Ross for Cooking Challenge Four - No Refrigerated Ingredients from Ellen Dawson, Haverford, PA. 

Bouillabaisse comes from the French word “bouilli” or boil.  The basic flavorings are quickly boiled together with wine and tomatoes to emulsify, and then seafood is cooked at the last minute. 

4 tbsp olive oil

2 carrots, minced

2 ribs of celery, minced

2 leeks or shallots or small onions minced

1 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp each of fennel seeds, dried thyme 

2 tsp minced parsley

2 bay leaves

Pinch of cayenne

6-8 saffron threads (optional)

1 tbsp grated orange peel 

½ tsp salt and pepper

1 ½ cup white wine

28 oz. can tomatoes, drained and chopped

2 - 6 ounce cans clams

2 - 6 ounce cans crabmeat

2 - 6 ounce cans shrimp

French bread

Heat oil in large saucepan; add carrots, celery and onion to sauté for 4 minutes.  Add garlic, fennel, saffron, peel, cayenne, parsley, thyme, salt and pepper and bay leaves. Sauté 2 minutes, then add wine and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Turn down to simmer and add cans of seafood, cover and cook for 2 minutes until seafood is just warmed through.  Serve in large shallow bowls with toasted slices of French bread spread with rouille. You may use any kind of canned fish or shellfish – salmon, tuna, oysters, squid, and lobster with or without the clams, crab and shrimp. 

Rouille Sauce

3 tbsp water

3/4 cup coarse fresh bread crumbs (preferably from a baguette, crust removed) 

3 garlic cloves

1/2 tsp coarse sea salt

1/2 tsp cayenne

3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil 

1 whole canned pimento pepper or 10 slices canned roasted red peppers

A Gallic tradition for good reason, rouille is French for "rust," after the rich color of this sauce. Pour water over bread crumbs in the bowl of a food processor. Add garlic, salt, pimento pepper, and cayenne pepper. Add oil in a slow stream, while food processor is running, until well combined. It should have texture of mayonnaise. You may also mix this by hand if you don’t want to use a food processor.