Caribbean Bouillabaisse with Prawns, Saffron and Herb Flädle

Some meals aboard begin with a recipe. Others begin at the market. This one began in Port of Spain, with fresh prawns, herbs, vegetables and the simple question we ask surprisingly often on Aurelia Blue: what can we make from what looks best today?

The answer became a Caribbean bouillabaisse — French in its foundation, Caribbean in its aromatics, and with one unmistakably southern German detail: thin herb Flädle instead of the more expected bread or potatoes. It is not meant as a strict restaurant copy of Marseille. It is the kind of food we like aboard: classical technique, good ingredients and enough freedom to let the place influence the pot.

Start with the prawns — and keep the shells

The prawns are cleaned first, but the shells are far too valuable to throw away. They become the backbone of the stock. Onion, leek, garlic, fresh ginger and a small amount of turmeric go into the pot together with the shells and are roasted gently. Because garlic is already in the pan, this is not the moment for a dark roast. Light golden colour is enough; dark garlic quickly turns bitter.

Tomato comes next. Fresh tomato works, but tomato paste gives a more concentrated flavour and is often my preference. Then comes the white wine. Many recipes say “a splash”. For about six people, I use closer to half a bottle of dry white wine. It is not only there to deglaze the pot: the acidity, fruit and structure become part of the stock. After a long, gentle simmer, what remains is depth rather than a taste of alcohol.

Top up with water, add bay leaf and kaffir lime leaves, season lightly with salt and let the stock simmer very gently for around two hours. Then strain it carefully. The aim is a clean, aromatic seafood stock rather than a heavy, muddy soup.

The second stage: prawns, saffron and fine vegetables

The cleaned prawns are cooked separately and gently. A little white wine goes into the pan, followed by the strained stock, saffron threads and very fine strips of carrot and spring onion or proper leek. A small splash of Pernod at the end gives the soup another aromatic layer, but it should never become the dominant flavour.

The important thing here is restraint. The prawns should stay juicy, the vegetables should keep some life, and the finished bouillabaisse should remain elegant enough that you can still taste where each layer came from.

Swabian herb Flädle in a Caribbean soup

Flädle are thin savoury pancakes, cut into strips and traditionally served in broth in southern Germany. For this version, a simple batter of around three eggs, a little melted butter, three to five tablespoons of flour, milk, salt and fresh herbs is enough. The batter should be creamy but flowing, not thick.

The pancakes are cooked very thinly — roughly three to five millimetres — in a hot pan with very little oil. Pour in one large spoonful and turn the pan while the batter is still liquid so it spreads across the base. If the first pancake is too thick, simply loosen the remaining batter with a little more milk.

Which herbs? Whatever is fresh and smells right. One of the joys of Caribbean markets is that you do not need to arrive with a rigid shopping list. Walk around, smell the herbs and use the ones that genuinely appeal to you. That is usually a better starting point than forcing a recipe onto ingredients that travelled too far to be there.

Let the pancakes cool completely, then cut them into strips around five to seven millimetres wide and a little longer than a tablespoon. Add them only immediately before serving. Put them in too early and they lose exactly the texture that makes them interesting.

From Port of Spain market to the table aboard

That is really the point of this dish. It connects three places without trying too hard: a French seafood soup, Caribbean produce and flavours, and a small Swabian kitchen memory. None of them has to overpower the others.

And because this is food aboard rather than food for a studio photograph, the best part comes after the stock has simmered, the prawns are just cooked and the Flädle are cut: everyone sits down, the bowls arrive at the table, and dinner becomes the evening.