Asian style bouillabaisse with coconut broth
Serves 4
Fish for stew
4 scallops (cleaned)8 Palorde Venus calms (cleaned)
8 Mussells (cleaned)
4 Tiger prawns (shelled and de-veined) keep the shells
4 Crab or lobster claws (cooked) keep the shells
4 60g portions of seabass
4 60g portions of red mullet
4 60g portions of gurnard
Coconut broth
2 tbsp Unsalted butter
4 Kaffir limes
1 Leek (cleaned and chopped)
2 Lemongrass stalks (roughly chopped)
100g Thinly sliced fresh ginger
2 Cloves of garlic (minced)
2 Star anise
2 tbsp Red curry paste850ml Coconut milk
650ml Fish stock
400ml Vermouth
Any prawn/crab/lobster shells
Other ingredients
350g Soya noodles
200g Sliced spring onions
100g Pea shoots
4 Small bokchoy (blanched)
1 handful Chopped coriander/baby coriander
1 packet Wonton skins
100g Sesame seeds
1 Egg white
1 pinch Paprika
4 Tomatoes (blanched, peeled and diced)
Method
Coconut broth
In a large saucepan, melt the butter over a medium heat, add the kaffir leaves, leek, lemongrass, ginger, garlic and star anise and cook gently for 2-3 minutes or until fragrant. Add the lobster/crab and prawn shells and sauté for another 5 minutes or until lightly coloured. Add the curry paste and stir until ingredients are combined. Add the coconut milk, vermouth and fish stock. Bring to the boil and reduce to a simmer and cook gently for 1 ¼ hours or until reduced by a third. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Strain through chinois or fine mesh sieve and set aside to cool.
To finish
1. In a large saucepan of boiling water, cook the soya noodles for 10 minutes, then drain.
2. In a large saucepan, heat 500ml of the curried coconut broth over medium high heat until boiling. Reduce the heat to a simmer and add the noodles, spring onion, bokchoy, pea shoots and tomatoes. Warm for 1-2 minutes.
3. Meanwhile in a large pan bring the remaining coconut broth to the boil and add the mussels, clams and prawns. In a separate pan, heat a little oil and sear the bass, red mullet and gurnard on the side skin until crispy and golden, then add to the bouillabaisse to finish. In the same pan sauté the scallops on one side for 1 minute and also add to the bouillabaisse and then simmer for 5-7 minutes or until the mussels and clams are open and the fish is cooked through.
4. Take the wonton squares and slice in half so they form a triangle . Take the egg white and whip it up a little. Mix the sesame seeds, paprika and salt and place on a tray. Using a brush, brush the egg white on to the wontons, then dip into the sesame seed mix and fry on 180° for 2 minutes, getting enough for 4 per portion. Place on kitchen paper.
5. Mound some of the noodles, bokchoy, spring onion, pea shoots and tomatoes in the centre of 4 bowls. Using a slotted spoon, remove the shellfish and fish from the broth and arrange around the noodles. Ladle some of the broth over and around the fish and shellfish and garnish each bowl with the coriander. Serve immediately with the wontons in the broth like bread.
