Holiday Giftguide+GIVEAWAY: Holiday Seafood & $50 Whole Foods Gift Card Giveaway!
Happy Monday, Noshers! Hmm, I know “Monday” and “Happy” don’t always go together, but they do when it’s Day 3 of my 2012 Holiday Gift Guide + Giveaway extravaganza! Today’s gift guide involved a challenge on my part – I was tasked by Whole Foods Market to create a unique “fish dish” in honor of the Southern Italian tradition of “The Feast of the Seven Fishes”! Traditionally served on Christmas Eve, this luxurious meal usually features (you guessed it) seven different seafood dishes.
I have never had the opportunity to attend a traditional Feast of Seven Fishes meal (anyone having one and want to invite me? 
). However, armed with a $50 gift card provided by Whole Foods Market, I was eager to purchase some quality seafood for my own take on a fish dish:
And because of Whole Foods’ third-party verified sustainable seafood ratings, I felt both comfortable and informed about my purchases.
I decided to do a twist on the traditional Provençal bouillabaisse – a fish stew conventionally featuring various types of seafood, vegetables (leeks, onions and tomatoes make a common appearance), and finished with a crusty bread slices topped with a hearty rouille (a spread made with oil, bread crumbs and herbs). If there’s anything I learned from Julia Child and Jacques Pepin growing up, it’s that one can’t go too wrong with a good rouille. More rouille, more rouille! The results of my tweaks on a traditional recipe were a success, as evidenced by the empty bowls after my family was kind enough to be my taste testers 
.
Asian Bouillabaisse
Stock
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Shells from 1 lb of jumbo shrimp
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 cup of chopped bok choy
- 1 cup of watercress, roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp crushed ginger
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 medium tomato, chopped
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup rice wine
- 5 cups of water
1. Heat oil a large saucepan over medium heat. Add shrimp shells; cook 3 minutes.
2. Add onion, bok choy, watercress, ginger and garlic to shells in saucepan and cook 2 minutes.
3. Stir in tomato, and heat through.
4. Add peppercorn, salt, rice wine and water and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes. Strain through fine mesh strainer and discard solids. Set broth aside.
Stew
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion, sliced
- 4 baby bok choy, cut in large pieces
- 2 cup of watercress
- 12 littleneck clams
- 12 mussels
- 1 lb jumbo shrimp, cleaned and peeled (shells used for stock)
- 4 jumbo scallops
- 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
- 1 tbsp butter
- Salt and pepper to taste
1. Submerge littleneck clams in salted cold water for 30 minutes to expel any sand and debris. Remove clams from water and set aside.
2. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, bok choy and watercress to pan, and cook until onion are translucent.
3. Stir in broth and bring to a boil.
4. Add clams. Cover and reduce heat; cook for about 6 minutes.
5. Add mussels. Cover and continue to cook until mussels open (about 2 minutes).
6. Add shrimp, scallops and cilantro and cover. Heat over low flame until shrimp and scallops are done (monitor, approximately 5 minutes) and clams are open.
7. Stir in butter until melted. Season with salt and pepper to taste
Rouille and Bread
- 3 dried red Thai chili peppers
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 2-3 tbsp bread crumbs
- 4 tbsp olive oil, plus more as needed
- 1 medium French baguette
1. Soak chili peppers in water for 15 minutes. Combine chili peppers and garlic together using a food processor, until combined
2. Add breadcrumbs to above mixture
3. Add olive oil, adding more as needed to keep rouille from getting dry.
Assembly
1. Thinly slice baguette and toast. Top baguette with rouille.
2. Ladle bouillabaisse into bowls and top with baguette + rouille.
Phew! I admit that is one of the more complex recipes I’ve put together, but the end result was totally worth it! Thank you, Whole Foods, for the gift card so I could purchase great fresh ingredients to create my seafood dish! And, Whole Foods was also cool enough to provide another $50 gift card for me to give away to one lucky reader – perfect for holiday cooking and baking! The Whole Foods gift card has made my Holiday Gift Guide because I love Whole Foods – you can always count on getting beautiful produce, seafood, cheese, meats and much more – and the gift card means that the recipient can choose whatever they want!
For your chance to win the Whole Foods $50 gift card, enter via the Rafflecopter widget below. This 52 second video provides a tutorial on how to enter a giveaway for Rafflecopter newbies! There are 6 methods of entry, with the first method (commenting on this blog post) being mandatory and the rest just extra gravy!
Will you be the lucky winner?
Good luck!
Note: Gift cards provided by Whole Foods, opinions are my own.
Previous Holiday Giftguide 2012 Posts:
- Holiday Giftguide 2012 Announcement and FAQs
- Fatty Sundays & Co Pretzels!
- HelloFresh Delivery Boxes!
Whole Foods is our go-to market so this gift card would help us buy our weekly groceries! Thanks for hosting another awesome giveaway!!
1I would buy lots of fruit!
2lobsters!
3Chocolate! And all sorts of awesome organic food for my family
4I would buy seafood. You have me craving it after seeing your posts this weekend!!
5Love whole foods, and we love seafood!
6Whole Foods is my favorite weekend errand, and it’s the main place where we get our seafood (and we eat lots of it!). I would use this card for a seafood feast! A seafood stew for wintertime….mmmm!
7I would buy as many things off the weekly circular as I could to streeeeetch the moolah!
8LOVE Whole Foods! I’m hosting a New Year’s Eve party this year and I would use this certificate to buy all of the ingredients for the yummy appetizers I’m hoping to serve!
9I would try replicating your Asian Bouillabaisse!
10I would buy organic produce
11I’d stock up on some delicious gelato!
12Wholey Macarel! Whole Foods $50 Gift Card!
13I would buy goodies for our New Year’s Eve party!
14It would be hard to say, but I would love to try one of their magnificent crown roasts. That being said, I’d also just like to buy a few things here and there and savor the gift card and make it last so I can shop more than once and feel special!!!
15Yummy! love seafood and whole foods. I would buy…cheese. antipasti. flowers (they have a great flower selection) and maybe even a xmas tree. think I can get all that for $50, right??
16I would probably buy cheese, chocolate, and wine!
17I would buy lots of fruits and veggies!
18I’d buy all sorts of fruits, veggies, nuts, and protein bars. Maybe something from the hot bar too!
19I would stock up on all their different flours and nut butters. Love that place!
20I’d buy fresh flowers and fruit, and maybe some of their delicious prepared food items.
21I’d use the gift card for splurge ingredients I rarely get to use, like chanterelles and stone crab claws.
22I would make a christmas feast! It would probably involve some yummy organic veggies
23I’d buy produce for sure, and possibly seafood
24organic baby food for my baby!
25I’d buy the freshly made smoothies and juices
26Lots of cheese and veggies.
27Well done on the recipe! I would go for fruits and veggies — love the organic stuff and usually too cheap, so this would be a good excuse.
28Is groceries too boring of an answer?
29I would buy a pint of delicious WholeFoods guacamole and some delightful delicious CHEESE.
30I would get fresh veggies, fruits, and milk!
31I love everything at Whole Foods from the fresh pasta to the amazing meats and fish.
32i would buy salmon and fruits!
33I will buy fruits and vegetables
34I would buy baby organic food
35Your recipe and dish look delicious! I would love to buy fresh ingredients from Whole Foods to prepare a feast too.
36I love their cheese selection and would splurge there.
37I would buy some fresh seafood – maybe scallops or halibut.
38I don’t get to go to Whole Foods very often, so I’d have a blast with this card! I would love to get some spreads, fresh pasta…and CHEESE! They have such a nice cheese selection at Whole Foods…
39I’d love to win and I’d buy goodies for all our holiday company.
40I would buy fruits, veggies, and some sweets!
41I would probably buy some poultry and fresh fruit for my sons.
42I would buy a whole lotta bruatta….and chocolate
43Oh wow, this looks so delicious, Serena! I’ve never been to a Whole Foods before but this definitely makes me want to!!
(…actually commented on the right post this time…)
44HM, I’d like to say that we’d spend it on good-for-us veggies, but let’s be real- it’ll probably be ice cream.
45We love Whole Foods (seriously, I’m there like every day), and I always try to surprise my husband with scallops when I can! <3
46I would totally buy some fancy schmancy products that I usually skip on my weekly trip
47i absolutely love cioppino and what could be better than spending the $50 on some of the best and freshest seafood from whole foods!
48I would definitely get oysters, squid, shrimp, scallops, and clams for a nice shabu shabu dinner at a family get together.
49My gluten-, soy-, lactose-, egg-free SIL is coming to visit, so I’ll be stocking up on alternative flours, egg-replacers, xanthan gum and coconut milk yogurts whether I win or not. But that $50 would help — some of those ingredients are pricey!
50Trying my luck on one of these
This is so cool Serena!
51Oops I can’t read directions, with a Whole Foods gift card I would buy stuff for a holiday party
52Whole Foods is so much fun! I love browsing there to find things I don’t find elsewhere. I think I would splurge on something ready-made for dinner. That would be a treat.
53I would buy so much cheese that I would explode. Also, I would buy some peanut butter because I love DIYing it.
54I love Whole Foods and go every week! I would buy lots of fruit and my favorite tea and candy!
55Wow, great job on making such a complicated recipe! I could never devote so much time to make a meal so BRAVO!!
56Oops, was so excited to comment on what you made that I forgot to answer the question! Since I’m lazy at cooking much, I’d probably use the gift card to purchase ready to eat foods or fruits/vegetables from Whole Foods.
57I would buy cheese and wine!
58I will buy my favorite drinks…Naked!
59Would love to stock up on good salt.
60