Cod, Prawn and Mussel Bouillabaisse (French Fish Stew)

Post in collaboration with Iceland Foods

A traditional French Fish Stew made with a little help from the #PowerOfFrozen. Serve your Cod, Prawn and Mussel Bouillabaisse with a crusty baguette to mop up all the deliciously flavoured juices. 

I do hope that you are remembering that this Sunday - 26th March 2017 - is Mother's Day. I've got a wee something for my Mum and I'm hoping that Foodie Boy and Foodie Girl have likewise remembered about me! Traditionally children and young people who were in service (think Downtown Abbey!) were given a day off on the forth Sunday of Lent so they could visit their families or return to their "mother" church. The children would pick wild flowers along the way to place in the church or give to their mothers. Eventually, the religious tradition evolved into the more commercialised Mother's Day gift giving as we know it today.

Iceland Foods asked me to come up with a three course meal that I would like to share with or make for my Mum for Mother's Day. Unfortunately I'm not going to see her on the 26th as she's around 120 miles away so she'll have to enjoy it in a virtual sense for now! I could have easily chosen the full three courses from the freezers in my local Iceland - but if I'd done that there wouldn't be a recipe to share! The taste, high quality and convenience of frozen food make it perfect for when you want to spend quality time with someone special and not be stuck in the kitchen.

For starters I pondered over Aromatic Crispy Duck with Pancakes and Jumbo Tempura Prawns but settled for Sticky Chicken Skewers which I served up on a simple salad sprinkled with sesame seeds and spring onions. You'll find the recipe for my main dish of Cod, Prawn and Mussel Bouillabaisse below, which needs no more alongside than a chunk of crusty bread to mop up all the delicious juices. For dessert I opted for the colourful Macaron Selection which is fantastic value at only £3 for 12 (or buy two packs for £5 and build your own Macaron tower!) However, I should confess that this was probably more for my own taste than my Mum's and she would perhaps prefer something chocolately like Iceland's Belgian Chocolate Melt in the Middle Puddings, Luxury Pot Au Chocolat or Chocolate & Hazelnut Marquise.

My Dad is allergic to shellfish hence Mussels and Prawns aren't something that my Mum would normally cook so I wanted to incorporate them into my recipe. Bouillabaisse is a classic French seafood stew and was traditionally made with whatever the fishermen hadn’t sold that morning. The distinctive flavours of a bouillabaisse broth include saffron, orange zest and fennel, however when it comes to the fish you can ring the changes to your own preference. I've used a trick picked up from the wonderful Nigel Slater to flavour the base of my broth using tinned anchovies. It works amazingly well and I promise you that even those who professs to dislike anchovies couldn't guess they were an ingredient but they really do add something special to the dish.

Recent advice has seen the recommendation for 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day increase to ten. I'll put my hand up and admit that this is a real struggle for me although I am trying my best and the selection of frozen veg available at Iceland are helping me along the way (even picky daughter has given the baby carrots her seal of approval!). In this dish I used onions, peppers, carrots and green beans but just like the fish you can easily ring the changes and include your own particular favourites. That's the #PowerOfFrozen. 

And now for the soppy bit... 

Happy Mothers Day Jeannette Cameron - the original Foodie Quine. You've been the number one supporter of my blog since day one when you were possibly my only reader! I'm especially proud of your strength and positivity over the last 18months since your breast cancer diagnosis and subsequent double mastectomy, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. You are now significantly less Cancery and I love you lots. xxx 

(do I still need to send a card or will this suffice?!)

Cod, Prawn & Mussel Bouillabaisse (French Fish Stew)
Serves 4

30g tin of Anchovies in Oil

100g Frozen Diced Onions

2 Fat cloves of Garlic, crushed

1 Bulb Fennel, cubed

100g Frozen Sliced Mixed Peppers

Grated Zest and Juice of one Orange

400g Tin of good quality Chopped Tomatoes

4 Tbsp Tomato Puree

Pinch of Saffron threads

Pinch of Cayenne pepper

2 Star Anise

Black Pepper

100g Frozen Baby Carrots

100g Frozen Sliced Green Bean

Iceland 520g 4 Atlantic Cod Fillets (defrosted and cubed)

Iceland 220g Fish Market King Prawns (defrosted)

Iceland 250g Stir Through Cooked Mussels Moules Mariniere (defrosted)

Place a large casserole dish or heavy based pan on the hob over a medium heat. 

Pour in the oil from the tin of anchovies and once it is sizzling fry the onions, garlic and fennel for 5-7 minutes or until softened.

Tip the anchovies into the casserole and allow them to dissolve into a mushy paste before adding the peppers, orange zest and juice, tinned tomatoes and tomato puree.

Season with the saffron, cayenne, star anise and black pepper.

Put on the lid and simmer gently for 20 minutes.

Add the carrots and green beans and simmer for a further 10 minutes before you add the cubed cod, prawns and mussels.

Cook for a further 5 minutes or until the cod is opaque and tender. 

Remember to remove the star anise before serving.

Serving suggestion - serve in a shallow bowl sprinkled with chopped parsley and with griddled slices of French Bread spread with the white wine and shallot butter from the Moules Mariniere.

Be sure to check out what my blogging friends have been cooking up for their Mums with the help of the #PowerOfFrozen

Janie at The Hedgecombers - Dairy Free Seafood Chowder
Kate at Veggie Desserts - Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Creamy Spinach Sauce
Bintu at Recipes from a Pantry - Jerk Fish Stew with Pepper Pineapple Fried Rice
Diana at Little Sunny Kitchen - Herb Salmon with Garlic Kale and Quinoa Prawn Salad

Linking up to Recipe of the Week & Cook, Blog, Share

Disclosure: This is a commissioned recipe for Iceland Foods. As always, all views expressed are my own. 

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