BOUILLABAISSE - FRENCH SEAFOOD STEW, USUALLY OF SHELLFISH

INGREDIENTS: SERVES 6

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• ½ pound Spanish chorizo or Portugese linguica, cut into 1-inch pieces

• 2 cups diced onions

• 2 cups diced potatoes, blanched

• ½ cup julienned red peppers

• ½ cup julienned yellow peppers

• 3 cloves minced garlic

• 1 teaspoon Creole seasoning

• 3 cups chopped peeled and seeded tomatoes

• 4 bay leaves

• 1 pound lobster tails, split 

• 2 soft shell crabs or 1 lb. crab pieces in the shell, cleaned

• ½ pound shrimp (21 count), peeled and tail on

• ½ pound mussels

• ½ pound clams

• 1 cup white wine

• Pinch of saffron
 threads
• ¼ cup finely chopped flat leafed parsley

• ¼ pound shucked oysters

• Salt and pepper
 to taste
• 1 cup garlic aioli in squeeze bottle
**SEE COOK'S NOTES** 
• 2 tablespoons chopped green onions

• Loaf of crusty bread

DIRECTIONS: 

1.  In a large Dutch oven, heat the olive oil. When the oil is hot, render the sausage for 2 minutes. Remove the 
     sausage and set aside. 

2.  In a mixing bowl, toss all the vegetables with the garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Place one third of
     the vegetables evenly on the bottom of the pot. Place one third of the tomatoes and 2 of the bay leaves
     on the vegetables. 

3.  Lay the lobsters, meat side down and the soft-shells or other crab on top of the tomato mixture. Sprinkle
     ½ of the chorizo over the lobster. Layer ⅓ of the vegetables and tomatoes on top of the lobsters. Season
     the shrimp with Creole seasoning.  Lay the shrimp over the tomatoes. Layer the remaining ⅓ of the 
     vegetables and tomatoes over the shrimp. Layer ½ of the chorizo over the shrimp. Lay the mussels and
     clams over the tomatoes. Add the wine, saffron and parsley. Cover the pot and cook for 30 minutes.

4.  Remove the lid and add the oysters during the last 5 minutes of cooking. Ladle the bouillabaisse in an
     over-sized platter. Garnish with the aioli, green onions and crusty bread.

**COOK'S NOTES**  
**Garlic aioli is roasted garlic**, mayonnaise, and olive oil blended well. **See  ROASTED GARLIC.