Bouillabaisse Recipe (French Seafood Stew)

• Gather all the ingredients.
  
• In a small bowl, combine ½ tsp saffron and ½ cup dry sherry. Set aside.
  
• Prepare the vegetables. Dice 1 onion and mince 1 shallot. Thinly slice the fennel so you have 1 cup fennel bulb. Mince 1 rib celery and dice 1 carrot. Next, cut 1 lb white fish into bite-sized pieces.
  
• Prepare and clean 2½ lb seafood mix as necessary. Here, I used a great frozen seafood medley pack from Costco. It saves quite a bit time not having to clean and cut the seafood.
  

To Cook the Stew

• In a large pot (I use a big Le Creuset pot), heat 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil on medium heat. Add 6 cloves garlic (minced) and all the prepared vegetables (the onion, shallot, fennel, celery, and carrot). Sauté on low heat until lightly golden brown, about 20 minutes.
  
• Add the seasonings: 1½ Tbsp tomato paste, 2 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt, 1 tsp basil, 2 Tbsp parsley, and freshly ground black pepper. Mix well.
  
• Now, add all the liquids: 1 can diced tomatoes with juice, 2 cups clam juice, the juice from 1 jar oysters, and the saffron-infused sherry. Bring it to just a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
  
• Add all the seafood. When the soup starts to boil, skim off the scum and foam from the soup. Simmer for 15 minutes. Skimming is very important to have a clear soup with a refined taste.
  

To Serve

• Serve in individual bowls. Garnish with chopped parsley and optional crushed red pepper (red pepper flakes) and serve immediately with fresh French bread on the side.
  

To Store

• You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container or in the pot and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.