Bouillabaisse À La Marseillaise - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1/3 cup olive oil
3 1/2 cups fennel, cored and cut into 1/4-inch pieces (fronds reserved for garnish)
2 cups leeks, washed and sliced
1 1/2 cups red onions, chopped
5 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
4 cups plum tomatoes, washed and quartered
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon dried orange peel
4 sprigs thyme
1 tablespoon dill, chopped
1 teaspoon saffron thread
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or to taste)
1 cup dry white wine
6 cups boiling water
1 fish head (and or or carcass, shrimp shells)
2/3 cup parsley
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons sea salt (or to taste)
1 teaspoon black pepper (or to taste)
3 lbs mix skinless lean white fish (sea bream, tilapia, cod, turbot, etc.)
3 lbs mix shellfish such as lobsters, scampi, prawns, mussels, clams, scallops. etc

Preparation

In a large pot over medium heat, add oil and when hot, throw in fennel, leeks, onions and garlic; stir and cook for 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, orange peels, thyme, dill, saffron and cayenne pepper; stir well and cook for 2 minutes. Pour in white wine and scrape the bottom of the pot; cook for 5 minutes.
Pour in boiling water and add fish heads/carcass/shrimp shells, add parsley, bay leaf, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper; bring to a full boil; cook for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 45 minutes.
Remove fish heads, bones and shells; discard. Remove sprigs of thyme as well. Using a hand blender, puree the mixture until smooth. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve over a large pot.
Bring heat to medium-high and broth starts to boil, add firmer fish first before adding the others. When they are all cooked, transfer them to a serving plate. Add shellfish starting with the ones that take the longest to cook. Transfer shellfish to the serving plate along with the fish and transfer broth to a soup tureen.
In shallow bowls, place a mix of fish and shellfish, ladle the broth and serve with crusty bread. To add a nice finishing touch, place fennel fronds on top. Make 6-8 servings.
NOTE: If not using fresh fish, use 4 cups clam juice and 6 cups water BUT no salt.