about 1 kg of various seafood, such as fish, prawn and mussels
2–4 shallots
1 fennel
2 cloves of solo garlic
0.5 leek
2 carrots
some kaffir lime leaves (or bay leaves)
2 dl white wine
2 cans whole peeled tomatoes
4 dl water
0.5 bundle of thyme
0.5 dl lobster base
1 tsp fish sauce
juice of 1 lime
pinch of sugar
salt and pepper
Smoking the mussels:
Start by cold-smoking the mussels. The purpose of this step is not to “cook” the mussels but instead to obtain some smoke flavour to enhance the bouillabaisse. Prepare the Mustang smoker by filling the tube with suitable cold-smoking dust. Wash and scrub the mussels to remove any grime and sediments. Using a knife, lightly tap the shell of the mussels and check whether they close – discard any mussels that fail to close or are broken. Place the mussels in, for example, the Mustang Teflon basket and let them rest in the refrigerator for around 5–10 minutes, which will cause the shells to open again slightly. Start the smoker according to instructions, direct the smoke to the smoking container and cold-smoke the mussels for around 10 minutes.
Bouillabaisse:
Cut the vegetables into strips and sauté them quickly in olive oil. Add the white wine in the saucepan and let simmer for a few minutes. Then add the whole tinned tomatoes, lime juice and thyme. Simmer over low heat for 10–15 minutes. Season with lobster base, fish sauce and a pinch of sugar. Check the taste and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the salmon cubes, king prawn and cold-smoked mussels to finish this classic dish. A quick heating is enough for seafood, around 3–4 minutes. After this, switch off the heat, put on a lid and let the flavours settle a little.
Eat the bouillabaisse hot with white bread. If you want, you can add a dollop of sour cream or aioli on top!
