Summer Tomato Bouillabaisse with Basil Rouille

Summer Tomato Bouillabaisse with Basil Rouille 

Tomorrow's the first day of Summer!!

My favorite summer-time memories revolve around family: picnics at the beach, backyard BBQ's followed by after-dinner croquet, bike rides, tennis, walks to the Sunday evening band-concert in the park...

Beautiful days!

Right up there at the top of that list are fond memories of my mom's summer clam-bakes. With all the gorgeous, sunny days of late, I've been craving those delicious, briny shellfish.

Summer Tomato Bouillabaisse with Basil Rouille is my homage to Mommy's clam-bakes. It's a quick dish that gets fabulous complexity of flavor from the clams and mussels while the Rouille, a garlicky Provencal style mayonnaise, provides a fresh punch.

The perfect dish to celebrate summer!

Ingredients  

• 5 garlic cloves, divided
• 1/2 cup (packed) fresh basil leaves
• 1/4 cup best quality mayonnaise
• 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 2 or 3 anchovy fillets packed in oil, drained
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 4 cups cherry tomatoes
• 1 small fennel bulb, cleaned, halved, thinly sliced
• Coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1, 8 ounce bottle clam juice
• 3 pounds mixed shellfish (such as mussels & littleneck clams) scrubbed
• 1 or 2 pats unsalted, organic butter
• fleur de sel (or use sea salt)
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• crusty bread, sliced (to serve alongside)

 Preparation

1. Chop 2 garlic cloves and transfer to a blender along with basil, mayonnaise, 3 tablespoons oil, anchovies and lemon juice. Purée until smooth. Transfer basil rouille to a small serving dish, cover and chill.

2. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add fennel and tomatoes, season with salt & pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes burst (about 10 min).

3. Slice remaining 3 garlic cloves and add to pot. Cook, stirring often, until garlic becomes fragrant, about 1 minute. Pour in wine and cook, stirring often, until almost absorbed, about 1 minute. Add clam juice and 4 cups water and bring to a boil. Add shellfish and cook, covered, until opened (discard any that do not open), about 4 minutes. (Clams may take a few minutes longer than the mussels.) 

4. Add 1 or 2 pats of butter and a sprinkling of fleur de sel. Stir in parsley. Spread basil rouille on warm crusty bread and serve alongside. Enjoy!

   Recipe adapted from Summer Tomato Bouillabaisse, BonAppetit, July 2011