Bouillabaisse

• 1 quart fish stock
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 slice lemon
• 1 stalk celery
• 3 slices of onion
• 2 thin strips lemon peel
• Pinch of saffron (optional)
• Meat of one lobster
• ¾ Ib. scallops
• 2 onions, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 tablespoons minced celery
• ½ cup olive oil
• 2 tomatoes, peeled and chopped
• 2 pounds fileted fish
• 1 cup shrimp, cooked and shelled

The quantities and times of this recipe, and the recipe for Cioppino (on page 37), are not to be taken too literally. In the best tradition they use up the catch-which is to say, they absorb small amounts of all sorts of fish in a delicious sauce or broth.

Make a quart of fish stock by boiling fish heads and backbones taken from filets. Season with bay leaf, slice of lemon, celery stalk, add a few slices of onion. Simmer at least 15 minutes; remove and discard fish parts and seasonings. In large pot, sauté 2 onions, sliced, garlic, and celery in olive oil. Add tomatoes, lemon peel and saffron. Add fish stock and boil hard for 5 minutes. Now add fileted fish, lobster, shrimp, scallops. Continue boiling for 5 minutes. Arrange toasted French bread in soup plates. Spoon fish over toast and fill bowls with soup.