Best Monkfish And Clam Bourride Recipes

MONKFISH AND CLAM BOURRIDE

Monkfish and Clam Bourride image

Provided by Jody Adams

Categories Soup/Stew Fish Potato Tomato Sauté Clam Fennel White Wine Fall Simmer Gourmet

Yield Makes 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 18

Ingredients

6 small (1 1/2- to 2-inch) red potatoes (3/4 pound)
2 large leeks (white parts only), cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
1 (1-pound) piece monkfish fillet, cut into 2-inch chunks
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Slow-braised tomatoes
1 large fennel bulb (sometimes called anise), stalks discarded and bulb halved lengthwise, cored, and thinly sliced lengthwise
1 cup thinly sliced shallots (4 medium)
4 garlic cloves, 3 thinly sliced and 1 halved crosswise
24 small hard-shelled clams (2 pounds) such as littlenecks (less than 2 inches wide), scrubbed well
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon finely grated fresh lemon zest
8 fresh basil leaves, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
4 (3/4-inch-thick) slices crusty bread (about 4 inches wide), toasted
Accompaniments: aïoli and green olive tapenade
Garnish: 8 whole fresh basil leaves

Steps:

Quarter potatoes, then cover by 1 inch with salted cold water in a 3-quart saucepan and simmer, covered, until just tender, 7 to 10 minutes. Drain in a colander, then cool.
Wash leeks in a bowl of cold water, agitating water to loosen any sand, and lift leeks from water to a sieve to drain. Pat dry.
Pat monkfish dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a deep 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sear monkfish lightly on all sides until golden, about 2 minutes total (fish will not be cooked through). Transfer fish to a plate using tongs.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil from slow-braised tomatoes in skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté leeks, fennel, and shallots, stirring, until softened and edges begin to brown, 4 to 6 minutes. Add sliced garlic and sauté, stirring, until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
Add clams, wine, water, red pepper flakes, zest, and tomato halves and cook, covered, until clams are fully open, 6 to 10 minutes, checking every minute after 6 minutes and removing clams as they fully open. (Discard any clams that have not opened after 10 minutes.) Using tongs, transfer clams to a large bowl or soup tureen.
Add monkfish and potatoes to skillet and simmer, covered, until fish is just cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in basil and parsley. Season with salt and pour over clams.
While monkfish is cooking, rub one side of each toast with a cut side of halved garlic clove. Divide bourride among 4 shallow bowls. Add a garlic toast and top with a spoonful each of aïoli and tapenade.

BOURRIDE

Bourride image

Chez Paul, located near the port of Marseille, stands at a crossroads with three other fish restaurants. But the license from the Beth Din of Marseille, hanging on the wall, certifying that the restaurant is kosher, sets this one apart. When I visited Chez Paul, Fathi Hmam, the Tunisian Muslim chef, was busy prepping bouillabaisse for the evening's dinner. Technically, his bouillabaisse stew is a bourride, because it only has fish with fins and scales-those that swim near the magnificent rocky shore of this ancient port city of France. But he does not use lotte (monkfish), also a nonkosher fish, central to fish bourrides in Marseille. Bourride is one of the oldest dishes in France, said to have been brought by the Phoenicians in the sixth century B.C.E. Of course, the tomatoes and potatoes arrived much later. It is also said that a few Jews came with the Phoenicians on this voyage. Is that why, perhaps, there is no shellfish in the bourride? The success of this simple dish depends on knowing at what moment the fish is perfectly cooked. And, of course, don't forget the rouille (see page 63), which North African Jews and Muslims alike make their own by adding a Tunisian touch: harissa.

Yield 8 servings

Number Of Ingredients 19

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups white wine
8 to 10 cups fish broth or water
Sea salt and pepper to taste
Peel of 1 orange
Pinch of saffron
1 large onion, peeled and diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 leek, cleaned and chopped
1 fennel bulb, diced
1 teaspoon anise seeds
4 tomatoes, peeled and diced, or one 15-ounce can tomatoes
2 carrots, peeled and diced
A few branches fresh thyme
1 sprig fresh parsley, plus 1 cup diced parsley
2 pounds potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
4 pounds mixed fish fillets, such as mahimahi, bluefish, striped bass, sea bream, or codfish, cut in big chunks
1 baguette
Rouille (see page 63)

Steps:

Put the olive oil, the wine, 8 cups of fish broth or water, salt, pepper, the orange peel, saffron, onion, garlic, leek, fennel, anise seeds, tomatoes, carrots, thyme, and parsley sprig in a 6-quart casserole, and bring to a boil. Simmer for about 15 minutes.
Add the potatoes, and cook for about 10 minutes, or until they are almost done. Then add the fish in two batches, starting with firmer fish and waiting about a minute to put in the next batch. Simmer, covered, for 5 to 7 minutes, until done, adding more broth if necessary. Fish out the orange peel, the thyme, and the parsley; use a knife to slice the fish carefully, adjust seasonings with salt and pepper; and sprinkle on the diced parsley. Serve immediately in one big bowl with some of the broth. Place the fish and ladle the broth on top. Slice the baguette into small rounds, toast, and serve with a teaspoon or so of rouille on top. Serve the remainder of the baguette and the rouille on the side.