Thai Bouillabaisse

Preparation

1. Heat oil in a large heavy casserole or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add shallots, garlic, ginger, lemongrass (or lime zest) and chile pepper to taste; cook, stirring, until very soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Add flour; stir well to combine. Add chicken broth and fish or seafood stock (or clam juice). Bring to a simmer; reduce heat and gently simmer for 15 minutes.
2. Carefully submerge fish, shrimp, scallops, mussels and mushrooms in the broth. Return to a gentle simmer and cook until just cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in lime juice. Serve garnished with avocado and cilantro.

Tips & Notes

• Ingredient notes: Lemongrass is an aromatic tropical grass used to add a pungent, lemony flavor to Asian dishes. It is available fresh at large supermarkets and Asian groceries.
• Shrimp is usually sold by the number needed to make one pound. For example, “21-25 count” means there will be 21 to 25 shrimp in a pound. Size names, such as “large” or “extra large,” are not standardized. In recipes calling for a specific count, order by the count (or number) per pound to be sure you're getting the size you want.
• To peel shrimp, grasp the legs and hold onto the tail while you twist off the shell. Save the shells to make a tasty stock: Simmer, in enough water to cover, for 10 minutes, then strain. The “vein” running along a shrimp's back (technically the dorsal surface, opposite the legs) under a thin layer of flesh is really its digestive tract.
• To devein shrimp, use a paring knife to make a slit along the length of the shrimp. Under running water, remove the tract with the knife tip.
• Be sure to buy “dry” sea scallops (scallops that have not been treated with sodium tripolyphosphate, or STP). Scallops that have been treated with STP (“wet” scallops) have been subjected to a chemical bath and mushy and less flavorful.
• Tip: To scrub mussels, hold under running water and use a stiff brush to remove any barnacles. Discard any mussels with broken shells or any whose shell remains open after you tap it lightly.

Nutrition