Bouillabaisse

Lorrie in Montreal's Note:

For my Italian friends...this might be nice on your Christmas Eve menu! Serve with lotsa fresh french or italian bread and your favourite white wine.

• Total Time: 45 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 6

• ½ lb mussels (optional)
• ½ lb medium shrimp
• ½ lb halibut or ½ lb cod fish fillet
• 1 teaspoon virgin olive oil
• 2 shallots , chopped
• 2 garlic cloves , minced
• 2 ½ cups canned Italian plum tomatoes
• 2 cups clam juice or 2 cups fish stock
• ½ cup dry white wine
• ½ teaspoon dried leaf basil
• ¼ teaspoon dried leaf thyme
• ¼-½ teaspoon hot pepper flakes
• 1 bay leaf
• ½ lb bay scallop

Directions:

1. Scrub mussels well to rid them of beards and sand.
2. Discard any open ones.
3. Peel and devein shrimp.
4. Cut halibut into bite-size pieces.
5. In a large non-stick saucepan, heat oil.
6. Add shallots and cook until soft.
7. Add garlic and tomatoes, cook, stirring 1 minute.
8. Add clam juice, wine, basil, thyme, pepper flakes, pepper and bay leaf.
9. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes.
10. Add halibut and simmer 5 minutes.
11. Add shrimp and scallops and cook 5 minutes more.
12. Add mussels, cover pan and simmer about 5 minutes until mussels open, discarding any that do not open.
13. Discard bay leaf.