AdventureMan Cooks a Florida Bouillabaisse
One of AdventureMan’s retirement dreams was to have time to cook. There have been two times in our lives together when he has had the time – one, when our son was born and he learned Chinese cooking so he could stir-fry while I held the squalling baby (he had colic, and squalled from about four in the afternoon to eleven at night. Do you know how long every single minute is when you are holding an inconsolable baby?)
The second time was when he retired from the military, and spent several months at home, keeping house, taking our son to visit colleges, and serving up some of the most fantastic meals we have ever eaten. (I was working; it was a total role reversal. Kind of fun to shake things up, do things differently in a relationship now and then. π )
So when he started thumbing through cook books, I started grinning to myself. This man is very talented, and while I am very good at ‘survival cooking’, i.e. getting a meal on the table that will nourish and quell hunger pains, AdventureMan takes cooking to an art form.
First we had to make a trip to the grocery store for some basics. When you set up housekeeping after a (yet another) move, you are missing some of the most basic things – like cayenne pepper, or garlic.
Then – oh heaven! – we visited Maria’s Fresh Seafood Market, heaven on earth for this little old Alaska girl.
Fresh, fresh seafood, and people who know how to cut it. The prices are good. As we entered, a drama began, a woman buying a lot of (something) picked a fight, first with the man serving her and then with the cashier. We were there about half an hour, and during this time, she complained, loudly and vigorously, to anyone who would listen. I think she wanted her purchase comped.
AdventureMan bought what he needed, got it cut mostly how he needed it, and also got a fish head and tail for making stock – a great big grouper! He said as he cooked it up, the head and mouth were sticking out of the pot like “Help me! Help me!” but I wouldn’t know because I was upstairs minding my own business while he worked his magic on the Florida fish bouillabaisse. π
Soon, tantalizing odors drifted upstairs, rich, complex odors, with a hint of sherry . . . it was divine. I had to pop down to let him know how much I was appreciating his efforts.
“Do you think it’s a little too thick?” he asked.
“I think it’s like a fish stew; I think thick is OK. You can add a little more liquid if it seems to need it,” I added, but actually, he is doing just fine without any input from me.
Finally, it was time to eat. AdventureMan dished the concoction into some shellfish soup bowls I found many years ago at that exotic resource store, TJ Maxx (LOL) and dinner was served.
Total YUMMMMMM. Bravo, AdventureMan, Bravo! I am having a lot of fun with your retirement! π
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Looking good AdventureMan , keep going
Intlxpatr whats happening to the price of fish with the news of the oilslick comming ????
So far, not too much happening. At one very popular Pensacola restaurant, Joey Patti’s, prices have been raised on a few items, but, it seems to me, less than $1. on any one item. Still no dramatic effect at Maria’s; prices are still good. Florida fish prices are one thing that attracted us to this area – we love seafood, and the seafood here is fresh, and reasonably priced. The oil spill is drifting into Louisiana, where many oysters and shrimp are farmed, and that will be really bad. No one really knows how the big oil spill will effect fish and/or prices over the long run. It is a sickeningly large amount of oil – and gas – and the experts are falling all over themselves saying they just don’t know how this will all shake out. π¦
Intlxpatr :
Good Morning from kuwait it is 5:15 Am here and we are online
5:15 am in Kuwait is the sweetest, coolest time all day. I hope you have a wonderful weekend, Daggero. What are you up to?
Intlxpatr :
The weather was dusty for the last two days , I am doing fine .
The Privatization Law just passed the National Assembly with Exculsions of Oil and Gas production , Education and Health services So it is kind of fifty fifty Law .However it should generate some exicement in the economy of kuwait,
Hmm. I’ll be interested to learn how that works. Does privatization mean that schools can determine for themselves if they will have male/female integrated classes? Does it mean that there will be no supervision of KOC employment processes? Does it mean that people in the privatized sector will or will not have their salaries paid on time? So many questions!
Hope the dusty weather . . .ummm. . . .err . . . blows over! π
ahh, Maria’s! we love that place! it’s always a toss-up between Maria’s and Joe’s when we’re looking for seafood – generally speaking, Maria’s has better prices on fish, and Joe’s has (much) better prices on shrimp.
Maria’s also sells my favorite spice ever: Chef Carlos Seasoning. 40 different herbs & seasonings, all natural, no salt, and holy crap, what an incredible aroma!
We love both places, but we didn’t know shrimp were cheaper at Joe Patti’s. Thanks, Rustypants! π We’ll have to look for Chef Carlos’ seasoning.
that bouillabaisse looks wonderful! and don’t knock your cooking – I daydream about the dishes you have made – especially this one: https://intlxpatr.wordpress.com/2009/07/19/baked-stuffed-pumpkin/.
That one really was pretty good, Little Diamond. . . but I have gotten pretty good with the chana dal, too. π What are you cooking up these days?
loool right now I’m cooking up cardboard boxes for the next move. Once I’m ensconced for the summer I’m sure I’ll be cooking more!
This will be one of those fun moves, I am guessing. Not so bad. (?) But the packing part can get tiresome. . .