thai inspired bouillabaisse

Thai-Inspired Bouillabaisse

Serves 4

Bouillabaisse is a seafood stew flavored with French herbs, saffron, fennel, and orange. In this Thai-inspired version, the traditional French flavors are replaced with galangal, lemongrass, and lime. A touch of chile adds gentle heat. This soup is simple to make but looks impressive, with bright, aromatic flavors. The broth can be made in advance so all you have to do is add the seafood, and dinner is ready in less than 10 minutes.

Ingredients

  • 3/4 pound large shell-on prawns (see Cook's Tips)
  • 2 tablespoons neutral high-heat oil
  • 1/2 white onion, sliced
  • 2 garlic cloves, smashed
  • 2 Thai chiles, smashed, or more to taste
  • 6 makrut lime leaves (see Cook's Tips)
  • 8 thin slices galangal
  • 2 stalks lemongrass, bottom halves only, outer layers removed, stalks smashed
  • 1/4 cup Thai chile paste (nam prik pao; not curry paste)
  • 1 Roma tomato, seeded and diced
  • 3/4 pound scallops
  • 3/4 pound mussels, scrubbed and beards removed
  • 3 tablespoons fish sauce
  • 3 limes, zested and juiced (about 1/4 cup juice)

optional toppings

  • cilantro leaves
  • basil leaves
  • sliced red chile peppers

Directions

  1. Peel and devein prawns, reserving shells. Refrigerate cleaned prawns until ready to use.

  2. In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add prawn shells and onion. Sauté until browned and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and chiles. Stir.

  3. Add 4 cups water. Crush lime leaves in your hand and add to the pot. Add galangal, lemongrass, and chile paste. (See Cook’s Tips.) Once the broth comes to a boil, lower heat, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes.

  4. Strain the broth. Discard shells and aromatics. (At this point, the broth can be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.) Return the broth to the large pot and bring to a simmer over medium to medium-high heat. Avoid a rapid boil as it can break and overcook the seafood.

  5. Add tomato and scallops to the pot. After 2 minutes, add mussels and reserved prawns. Cover pot and give it a shake to distribute the seafood. Cook until mussels open and scallops and prawns are just cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. Immediately remove from heat to avoid overcooking. Discard any mussels that do not open.

  6. Add fish sauce, lime zest, and 1/4 cup lime juice. Adjust seasoning to taste.

  7. Ladle into bowls and garnish with herbs and chiles, if desired.

Cook’s Tips

You can find prawns with shells on in the freezer section. Defrost them in a covered container in the refrigerator before peeling and deveining. If preferred, peeled and cleaned prawns may be substituted for the shell-on prawns, but seafood stock should be used in place of the 4 cups of water in step 3 to maintain a flavorful soup broth.

Makrut lime leaves (formerly called kaffir lime leaves) are ubiquitous in authentic Thai cooking. If unavailable, simply omit them. The added lime zest and juice will suffice.

The sweetness of different brands of chile paste can vary. Add up to a teaspoon of granulated sugar to your soup if more sweetness is desired. Chile paste is quite thick, so it can help to loosen the paste with a bit of hot broth before adding to the pot. This will help it to incorporate more easily.