LATINA-STYLE BOUILLABAISSE

Latina-Style Bouillabaisse image

Provided by Martha Stewart

Number Of Ingredients 20

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3 strips bacon, chopped
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped red onion
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon seeded minced habanero chile
Generous pinch of saffron threads
1/2 cup dry sherry
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1/4 cup cilantro with stems, coarsely chopped, plus more sprigs, for garnish
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
12 to 14 cups Seafood Stock
18 little neck clams, scrubbed
12 diver scallops or 36 bay scallops
6 jumbo head-on shrimp or prawns, peeled, deveined, and split
12 extra-large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 1/2 pounds red snapper, cut into 4- to 6-inch pieces
18 mussels, debearded
Freshly squeezed juice of 1 lime

Steps:

Cook bacon and 3 tablespoons olive oil in a very large skillet over high heat, stirring frequently for 4 minutes. Add onion and cook for 5 minutes. Add peppers and cook for 5 minutes. Add garlic, habenero, saffron, and sherry. Let reduce by half.
Add evaporated milk to skillet and continue to let mixture cook until reduced by half. Add chopped cilantro and season with salt and pepper. Working in batches, carefully transfer mixture to a blender and blend until smooth.
Pour blended mixture into a large saucepan; add seafood stock. Cook over medium-high heat until heated through.
Heat remaining tablespoon olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add clams, scallops, and jumbo shrimp; cook for 2 minutes. Add extra-large shrimp, snapper, mussels, and heated seafood stock mixture. Cook until shrimp is pink and shellfish have opened. Season with lime juice, salt, and pepper. Serve immediately garnished with cilantro sprigs.