Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil 1/2 pound chorizo (Spanish and not Mexican) 3 cups julienne onions 2 cups diced potatoes, blanched 1 cup julienned red peppers 1 cup julienned yellow peppers 1/4 cup minced garlic 4 cups chopped peeled and seeded tomatoes 6 bay leaves 1 pound lobster, split 2 soft-shell crabs, cleaned 1/4 pound shrimp, peeled and tail on 1/4 pound mussels 1/4 pound clams 1 cup white wine Tabasco or other red pepper sauce to taste pinch of saffron 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley 1/4 pound shucked oysters Salt and pepper 1 cup garlic aioli in squeeze bottle 2 tablespoons chopped green onions Small loaf of crusty bread

Directions:

In a Dutch oven, heat the olive oil. When the oil is hot, render the sausage for 2 minutes. Remove the sausage and set aside. In a mixing bowl, toss all the vegetables with the garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Place one third of the vegetables evenly on the bottom of the pot. Place one third of the tomatoes and 2 of the bay leaves on the vegetables. Lay the lobsters, meat side down and the soft-shells on top of the tomato mixture. Sprinkle 1/2 of the chorizo over the lobster. Layer 1/3 of the vegetables and tomatoes on top of the lobsters. Season the shrimp with Essence. Lay the shrimp over the tomatoes. Layer the remaining 1/3 of the vegetables and tomatoes over the shrimp. Layer 1/2 of the chorizo over the shrimp. Lay the mussels and clams over the tomatoes. Add the wine, saffron and parsley. Cover the pot and cook for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and add the oysters during the last 5 minutes of cooking. Ladle the bouillabaisse in an oversized platter. Garnish with the aioli, green onions and crusty bread. Yield: 4 to 8 servings