boullabaisse

A favorite soup of the Mediterranean area - It is a tasty combination of salt-water fish and shellfish, with a touch of saffron to give it that yellowish colour. Ideally, you should start with a good fish stock, although in this case we will use wine and canned clam nectar.

Ingedients:

1 Carrot - diced

1 Leek - diced

2 Stalks Celery - diced

1 Red Pepper - diced

2 Cloves Garlic - crushed and blended with 1 Tbs fresh Basil in 3 Tbs Olive Oil and 1 Tbs Lemon Juice

½ Cup Olive Oil

3 lbs Cod or Halibut

1 14oz can Tomatoes - chopped (save juices)

Sea Salt and Lemon Pepper for seasoning

1 Bay Leaf

½ Tsp Tarragon

3 Cups Clam Nectar

1 Cup Dry White Wine

Shell Fish such as Shrimps, Mussels in a shell, clams in the shell, crab legs (cracked), fresh prawns or oysters

6 strands of saffron or ¼ tsp powdered

Fry carrots, leeks, celery and peppers in olive oil till lightly browned. Add fish, tomatoes, clam nectar, wine, tarragon and bay leaf.

Allow to simmer for 20 minutes, then add shellfish and simmer a further 7-8 minutes or until the shells open up. Season and stir in the garlic and herb mixture and saffron.

Heat well before serving in bib bowls with crusty French garlic bread.