In the book “Sand in their Shoes” by Edith & Frank Shay, Cape Cod restaurants were compared to restaurants in France serving Bouillabaisse. The French restaurants served Bouillabaisse with the heads of fish staring up at you from the bowl. At this sight many guests had second thoughts about ordering Bouillabaisse. The Bouillabaisse served on the Cape had no fish heads.
Many of today’s Chefs leave shrimps with their tails, crabs or lobster halves still in their shells for a a more dramatic presentation but no fish heads.This recipe for Cape Cod Bouillabaisse, from the archives of the Boston Transcript, has everything you want including incredible flavor and taste from the Cape. However, no fish heads.
The Boston Transcript was a daily newspaper published in Boston from 1830 to 1941. Here is their recipe for Cape Cod Bouillabaisse. Enjoy!!
Cape Cod Bouillabaisse
Serves four
Ingredients:
2 lbs firm fish (Cod, Haddock)
6 oysters and/or
6 clams and/or
6 mussels
1 cup crabmeat and/or
1 cup lobster and/or
1 cup shrimps and/or scallops
2 peeled tomatoes
2 sliced onions
1/2 cup olive oil
1 juiced lemon
1 bay leaf
1 clove crushed garlic
2 tbsp. minced parsley
1/2 cup chopped pimientos (a sweet, succulent red pepper),white wine
1/2 cup white wine
Heavy pinch of saffron,
Light pinch of thyme
4 slices toasted garlic bread
Directions:
Place fish in one quart of water and boil until liquid is reduced to a pint, drain and save liquid. Cut fish into pieces for serving, brush with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, crumbled bay leaf and thyme, and let stand a while. Put the olive oil and fish stock into a large pot, adding onions, garlic, tomatoes, parsley and lemon juice and let the whole simmer for about an hour. Wet the saffron in a small part of the white wine and add with fish and shellfish, pimientos, and continue simmering until fish is done, rolling the pot to distribute the saffron. Just before removing from the fire add the balance of the white wine and serve over the garlic toast.
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Marveous Mavens 