Perfect for family and kid-friendly too. Most of this recipe can be made ahead of time. Just a half an hour before you’re ready for dinner you can finish off this easy dish. I’ve listed some of my favorites to include, but feel free to use the fish that makes you happy. This recipe will feed 6-8 people.

Ingredients

• 4 T olive oil
• 1 large fennel bulb, thinly sliced
• 1 sweet, white onion, chopped
• 3 large shallots, chopped
• 2 tsp. salt
• 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 3/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 c. tomato paste
• 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes in juice
• 1 bottle dry white wine
• 64 oz. vegetable stock
• 1 lb. clams
• 1 lb. mussels, scrubbed and debearded
• 1 lb. large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 3/4 lb. salmon with the skin

Phase One

• Sweat the fennel, garlic, shallots, and onion in the olive oil until tender and translucent.
• Add white wine and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Add crushed red peppers, chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, and vegetable broth and bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Phase Two

• 30 minutes before you’re ready to serve, take the fish out of the refrigerator and season with salt and pepper.
• Bring the broth up to a boil.
• Add the fish to the broth and simmer for 6-8 minutes.

That’s it! You’re ready to serve. The only thing you need is some crusty bread to sop up all that deliciousness…. and of course a glass of red wine.

In this case, Mark Bittman's Bouillabaisse from The New York Times fits the bill. It's delicious and I highly recommend this dish for the ones you love this Valentine's Day.

Ingredients

• Good olive oil, as needed
• 4 to 8 thick slices good bread
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 celery stalks, trimmed and chopped
• 1 carrot, trimmed and chopped
• 1 medium new potato, peeled and chopped
• 1 small bulb fennel, trimmed and chopped
• ¼ teaspoon saffron, optional
• 3 cups lobster or fish stock
• 2 cups chopped tomatoes, with their juice (canned are O.K.) 
• Salt and pepper
• 1 to 1 ½ pounds chopped boneless fish and shellfish, preferably a variety
• 8 littleneck clams
• 8 mussels
• 2 sea scallops
• 2 tablespoons Pernod or other pastis, optional 
• Chopped fennel fronds, for garnish 
• Chopped basil or parsley, for garnish 
• Rouille, optional

Method

• Heat oven to 400 degrees; brush bread liberally with olive oil, and bake on a sheet, turning once, until golden and crisp, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
• Add enough olive oil to a Dutch oven, deep skillet or shallow pot to make a thick layer (don't skimp) on the bottom. In it, cook onion, garlic, celery, carrot, potato, fennel and saffron until glossy. Add stock and tomato and bring to a moderate boil; cook until thick and stewy rather than soupy. Season to taste; it should be so delicious that you don’t even care whether you add fish.
• Lower heat to a simmer, and, as you add fish, adjust heat so that the liquid continues to bubble gently. Add fish in order of how long they will take to cook. Monkfish, striped bass and squid are fish that might require more than a few minutes, so add them first. About five minutes later add clams and mussels, holding back any fish that has been cooked or will cook in a flash. When mollusks open, add remaining fish. Cut scallops into quarters and place in the bottom of 4 bowls.
• Add pastis if you're using it; taste and adjust seasoning. Ladle hot soup and fish over the scallops, distributing clams and mussels evenly. Garnish and serve with croutons and rouille, if you're using.

Tip: To make rouille, add 1/2 cup finely minced roasted, peeled and seeded red bell pepper, 2 cloves finely minced garlic and cayenne to taste to either homemade or store-bought mayonnaise.

We asked our beer expert and proprietor of St. Gambrinus Beer Shoppe in Brooklyn, Heather Burns, what we should pair with our bouillabaisse. Heather explained that the perfect pairing for such a naturally flavorful seafood stew should complement and not overpower or compete with the flavors. A light, crisp pilsner would be a perfect, refreshing beer to enjoy.  She recommends the Von Trapp Bohemian Pils, a Czech-style Pilsner made in Stowe, VT and named after the Von Trapp family chronicled in one of her favorite childhood films, The Sound of Music. It’s everything you want in a pilsner: light-bodied, perfect for everyday drinking with the traditional German hops and comforting “biscuity” malts- a real crowd pleaser! 

If you find yourself in Brooklyn, stop in and say hello to Heather at St. Gambrinus Beer Shoppe!

Ingredients feeds 6-8 people

• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large fennel bulb, thinly sliced
• 1 sweet, white onion, chopped
• 3 large shallots, chopped
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 4 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 3/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper flakes,
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes in juice
• 1 bottle dry white wine
• 64 ounces vegetable stock
• 1 pound cockle clams
• 1 pound mussels, scrubbed, debearded
• 1 pound uncooked large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• ¾ pound salmon with the skin

Method

• Sweat the fennel, garlic, shallots and onions until tender and translucent, in olive oil
• Add, white wine and simmer for 10 minutes
• Add, crushed red peppers, chopped tomatoes, tomato paste and vegetable broth and bring to a boil.
• Then simmer for 20 minutes.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• 30 minutes before you are going to serve your guests, take all of the fish out of the refrigerator.
• The most important part of this stew is to NOT overcook the fish.
• When you are ready to serve your guests, bring the broth up to a boil.
• Season the fish with salt and pepper and add the fish to the broth.
• Simmer the stew for approx., 6-8 minutes and then serve in bowls.
• A crunchy sour dough bread for sopping up the broth.