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Fish Soup
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Heat olive oil in the bouillabaisse pot. When it starts steaming, add the fish and cook 20 minutes, or until the skin starts to detach. Add bouquet garni, onion, garlic, shallot, 1 tablespoon fennel seeds, tomato paste and chopped tomatoes. Simmer 1 minute.
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Add 2 tablespoons Pastis and ignite. Add water to cover, then add saffron and simmer 40 minutes.
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Meanwhile, slice the red snapper into 4 steaks and peel potatoes.
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Fennel and Pastis sauce
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Pour 1 pint of cream into a small pan. Add remaining fennel seeds and remaining Pastis. Bring mixture to a boil, then remove pan from heat. Let it infuse for 30 minutes.
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Fish brandade
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In a separate pan, boil potatoes, then drain and set aside.
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When the soup is ready, add fish steaks. Cook 20 to 30 minutes.
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Remove fish. With a food mill, puree potatoes and fish together with remaining cream, red pepper flakes, salt and a drizzle of olive oil. Mix well and reserve.
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Reduce the soup base over medium-high heat until slightly thickened.
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Aioli
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Aioli can be made with a mortar and pestle, or with a mixing bowl and whisk. Combine egg yolks, salt, garlic and red pepper flakes. Drizzle in equal parts olive oil and canola oil until it is a mayonnaise consistency. Whisk in Dijon. Refrigerate.
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Serving
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Spread aioli on the baguette slices or baked puff pastry.
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Place a mound of fish brandade in a wide soup plate. Blend fennel and Pastis sauce until a foam forms, and pour it onto the brandade. Pour on the heated soup. Serve with aioli toasts.
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Fish substitutes for American cooks: A combination of firm and soft fish works well. Choose five different fish for the best flavor. Try some of these for the firm fish: bluefish, swordfish, red snapper, sea bass, cod, monkfish or thick fillets of halibut. Soft fish can include tilapia, perch, flounder, sole or thin fillets of halibut.
