Pot Full Fresh From The Sea

Ingredients
6 small Red Mullet total weight = 300 grams
3 small Sand Whiting total weight = 450 grams
Whole small Snapper total weight = 500 grams
Whole John Dory total weight = 400 grams
3 Garfish total weight = 400 grams cleaned filleted rolled in veg batons
6 medallions of Crayfish total weight = 500 grams
6 Periwinkles in the shell - washed and trimmed
6 Scampi shelled and cleaned (take care to remove the intestinal strand)
Baby Squid total weight = 0.6 kilo - cleaned and sliced into fine rings
Shelled Scallops total weight = 250 grams - cleaned
Shelled Mussels total weight = 300 grams - scrubbed of beard
Half a Carrot roughly chopped
One third of a branch of Celery roughly chopped
2 Shallots peeled and roughly chopped
Half a large Onion
2 cloves Garlic peeled and chopped
2 Leeks well cleaned and chopped
6 Tomatoes peeled and seeded
2 wine glasses dry White Wine
Half a Red Capsicum
Fresh Thyme
Fresh Dill
Fresh Basil
Fresh Tarragon Leaves
Salt
Cayenne Pepper

Method

Vegetables in Julienne - fine strips; also cut into batons - short, slightly thicker strips.

Vegetables to include carrots, green and yellow zucchinis and red capsicum - total weight of the julienne vegetables is 200 grams and total weight of the vegetable batons is 100 grams.

These vegetables should be well cleaned and very carefully cut, the distribution of colour and shape is important.

To make the base sauce:

Crush the crayfish and scampi shells then toss them gently in olive oil.

Make a brunoise of carrots, celery, shallots, onion, garlic, capsicum, leeks - the roughly chopped vegetables sweated off in butter.

Mix the brunoise with the shells, add the fresh, peeled tomatoes, white wine, fish fumet, fresh herb leaves, cayenne and salt.

Leave this mixture simmering a short period of time - about 20 minutes - and skim it constantly.

Strain the sauce which will be quite thin and concentrated in flavour as it has not been cooked too long and so has not lost its flavour. Pass the sauce through a tammy and then bring it back to simmering point. Just before service, strain sauce once more.

To cook the seafood:

Take a wide steamer and bring water to the boil.

Steam the seafood until just cooked.

Take a large hot plate and place the strained sauce on first (note: this is more a jus than a proper sauce and it is very light and flavoursome. In Summer it is delightful at this consistency, for Winter you may prefer to enrich it by whisking through some fresh whole butter before serving it onto the plate).

Arrange the seafood carefully onto the sauce and then spread the julienne of vegetables over the top. Finish with a sprig of fresh dill.

Remarks
All these fish should be well-cleaned,scaled and filleted (the bones kept for the fish fumet). The skin of the fish should be left on for colour.