The Base for Ginger, Vanilla Bean Bouillabaisse

I'll never forget the night I had one of my first grown up meals in New York City.    Laurent Tourondel, the LT of the BLT restaurant empire in NYC,  was at the time the chef of a restaurant named Cello.   My Uncle and his friend Joe took me to the restaurant, right around the time I was graduating from college. 

I'd had only a handful of high end meals at that point in my life.  After the dinner at Cello, I realized the immense pleasure that would be awaiting me as I grew into a cook.    I'll never forget the entree I had that night - a classic bouillabaisse.   It was outrageously good.   In fact, I ordered bouillabaisse anytime I saw it for almost a year afterwords, just to confirm what made a great bouillabaisse better than all the rest.

As you've gathered by reading this site by now, I have no desire to make the classic bouillabaisse perfectly.   I've had it and it's delicious.   Instead, I wondered how I can stay true to the classic technique, while adding a flavor profile that was delicious yet captivating.   

The bouillabaisse is all about making a delicately flavored fish stock.    Making a fish stock is not as much of an effort as you'd think.    The fish bones and scraps that it takes to make a stock are often available at your fish market - just ask.    Markets like Fresh Direct have them ready to put right into your stock pot.   A fish stock only needs to simmer for about thirty minutes, so it doesn't take all day to make either.

I love a hint of vanilla bean with a meaty white fish.   Nothing overwhelming, but a bit of the floral, exotic  vanilla bean gently permeates the stock and adds a sense of richness that is striking.   I add a large quantity of chopped ginger to the stock as well, giving it more depth of flavor and bit of that peppery gingery bite.  The rest of the ingredients are expected - celery, carrot and some tomato paste for a pinkish, rosey color.

The recipe for the base of my ginger vanilla bean bouillabaisse follows....   

The Base for Ginger, Vanilla Bean Bouillabaisse

olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped carrot
Salt and pepper
5 tblsp chopped ginger
1tahitian vanilla bean
8 peppercorns
tomato paste
1 pound fish bones
Water to cover
1 cup white wine

In a large pot, heat the olive oil. Add the onions, celery, carrot and ginger.  Season with salt and pepper.   Saute for about 2 minutes. Add the peppercorns and about two heaping tablespoons of the tomato paste.  Scrape the insides of the vanilla bean into oil.  Add the whole pods as well.  Add the fish bones, water and wine.  Bring the liquid to a boil and reduce to very slow simmer.  You do not want this to boil away, as it will make for a cloudy stock.   Cook for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and strain very well with a fine mesh strainer.  Repeat.

You now have the base for your  bouillabaisse.  You'll want to cook up some shellfish and a firm white fish at a low heat in this liquid and serve the whole thing in a large bowls with some bread and and maybe a creamy aioli.  

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