Jerome Cognes Bouillabaisse

Jerome Cogne is the present incumbent head chef at the fabulous Bouchon Bistrot in Hexham. I have reviewed Bouchon and always found the food to be top class! This recipe is not one for the faint hearted but if you are feeling adventurous please give it a go. If you think is too much effort give Bouchon a call and book a table 01434 609943.

JEROME’S BOUILLABAISSE!

Ingredients

Bouillabaisse
2 whole red mullet
2 whole sea bream
4 king prawns
1 fennel bulb (diced)
1 large onion (diced)
1/2 head (or bulb) garlic (crushed)
1 carrot (diced)
1 stick celery (diced)
1/2 tbsp tomato paste
2 pinches saffron
100ml white wine
4 ripe tomatoes (diced)
20g fennel seeds
2 bay leaves
1 sprig thyme
Garnish
4 baby fennel
12 new potatoes (peeled)
1 carrot (turned)
1 courgette (turned)
12 cherry tomatoes (on the vine)
11/2 litres vegetable stock

Method

For The Bouillabaisse

Scale and fillet the fish, keeping the bones on the side for the

sauce. Peel the prawns and remove the heads. Roast the fish

bones in olive oil. Add the diced fennel bulb, the onion, crushed

garlic, carrot, celery, fennel seeds, bay leaves and thyme. Sweat

everything together, add the tomato paste and deglaze with the

wine. Reduce until almost dry, then add water to cover the

ingredients, a pinch of saffron and the diced tomatoes. Season

to taste and cook for 20 minutes. Put the mixture through a

moulis – a big potato masher – then through a sieve. Check

seasoning and add more if necessary.

To Serve

Cook the peeled new potatoes in water with a pinch of saffron.

Braise the baby fennel in half of the vegetable stock. Blanch the

carrots and courgettes in separate pans until ‘al dente’.

Transfer the vegetables to one pan and glaze for seven minutes

in vegetable stock and butter to finish cooking and to give a

nice shine to the vegetables.

Roast the cherry tomatoes in an 180°C oven. Keep on the vine

for presentation.

Panfry the fish (skin side down) and prawns with olive oil in a

non-stick pan. Season to taste.

Serve in a shallow plate, with the sauce and vegetables at the

bottom – position the fennel at a 45° angle to add volume to

the dish, then place the fish on top. Finish with the cherry

tomatoes. Serve with a fork and a soup spoon and crusty bread

to polish it off with!

And here you are, in Marseille, with the sun shining and your

feet in the water!