Seafood Bouillabaisse with Lemongrass
The classic French bouillabaisse takes on the citrusy and minty aromas of lemongrass, a highly regarded flavouring agent in Thai, Nyonya and Vietnamese cooking. A good stock makes a great-tasting bouillabaisse – basically, it’s a soupy seafood stew with origins in Marseille that showcases the marine bounty of coastal Provence, France.
Recipe Follows…
Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Difficulty: 2/5
Cost: $22.00
Servings: 1-2 persons
A: Aromatics
100g white onion, diced
100g fresh fennel, diced
80g potato, peeled and diced
40g garlic, diced
8g chill padi
10g thyme
1pc bay leaf
200g lemongrass, white portion bruised
B: Tomato-based Stock
300g Roma tomatoes, diced
90g tomato puree
300ml fish stock
6g saffron (see photo)
Salt and pepper to taste
200g mussels and clams
C: Fish
100g olive oil
400g whole snapper fish, filleted, bones retained
D: For Deglazing
200ml white wine
DIRECTIONS:
1. In a medium saucepan, pour in olive oil. Add fish bones, cook on medium heat. Once fish bones turn brown, add aromatics, followed by vegetables. Reduce heat to low and gently cook vegetables.
2. Increase heat to medium. Pour in wine to deglaze vegetables. Next, add tomato puree followed by fresh tomatoes, fish stock and saffron. Roma tomatoes which are longish in shape have less seeds, hence are ideal for this dish.
3. Cook on a medium to low heat for 30 minutes. Remove fish bones and lemongrass. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add in mussels and clams. Cook another 10 minutes until shells pop open (discard mussels that don’t open).
4. In a separate non-stick saucepan, heat up olive oil. Add snapper skin side down to panfry 5 minutes until skin crisps up. Flip fillets, flesh-side down. Cook another 5 minutes. Set it aside.
5. Using a serving spoon, scoop bouillabaisse stew in a large serving dish. Place snapper fillet on top.
6. Garnish with some parsley. Drizzle with olive oil. Serve immediately.
TIP: Shop at your nearest supermarket or wet market – ask your local fishmonger for recommendations for the freshest catch of the day.
TECHNIQUE: When deglazing with white wine, ensure saucepan is hot before pouring in wine – this is to allow alcohol to evaporate and infuse the dish with flavour.
Chef de Cuisine Kamarl John
Chef Kamarl John grew up surrounded by herbs and aromatics in his grandmother’s in London. That led him to cultivate a passion for food from an early age. He carries his intrigue and endearment for natural flavours and textures into the cooking at One-Ninety. Hailing from Four Seasons London, Chef Kamarl seeks to continually develop new dishes by drawing from Asia’s vibrant food heritage.
About One-Ninety
One-Ninety, a modern Asian brasserie at Four Seasons Hotel Singapore is home to authentic French cuisine. Here, wholesome Provençal dishes are given an Asian twist with an emphasis on fresh, natural flavours. Expect market-fresh seafood and succulent steaks at this all-day dining outlet which serves a potpourri of flavours that live up to Singapore‘s reputation of a melting pot of multi-cultural cuisines.
Photos: Four Seasons Hotel Singapore
www.fourseasons.com/singapore/dining/one-ninety
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