Channeling Jacques Pepin - Seafood Stuffed Bread

I am going to share this recipe with you because I love you all and it is one of my very favorite recipes. Do not wrinkle your nose at it. I swear it is fantastic. It is not all that hard to make either.



I baked a bread to use but it came out too small.



So, I swapped it out for this one. Shut up. I am not perfect ya know.



We are really lucky to get very fresh fish at H-Mart.



Fresh mushrooms too (even though I AM growing my own I bought these)



I made the herb butter and then spread it inside the hollowed out bread.



1/2 of the cubed seafood is put inside bread and seasoned. Then the mushrooms go on top of that. Another layer of seafood and then more herb butter.



Last the breadcrumbs made out of the bread that was taken out when loaf was hollowed.



Now ready for the oven. Meantime we gnawed on some Crawdads! Ohhh baby.



There is a reason they are called "Mud Bugs" but they were so good.



Time for bread to come out of the oven. Damn, this was just as good as I remembered.


Seafood Bread
Jacque Pepin

INGREDIENTS:
1 large, round country-bread loaf

GARLIC-HERB BUTTER
1/2 cup herbs (I used tarrigon, basil and thyme)
3 large cloves garlic
3 Tbs sliverd almonds
1 1/2 sticks butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 TBS dry white wine
5 oz haddock, cubed
5 oz tuna, cubed
5 oz salmon, cubed
7 oz squid, chopped
1/2 pound wild mushrooms
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

METHOD:
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Cut off the top of the loaf of bread and remove. Remove interior of bread for bread crumb mixture. Do not tear bottom or sides of loaf in removing interior. Leave approx 3/4 inch of sides. Whir up bread in a food processor to make 2-1/2 to 3 cups of bread crumbs. Set aside.

For the garlic-herb butter: Put the all herbs, garlic, and a pinch of salt atop in the food-processor and chopped ingredients fine. Add almonds, softened butter, salt, pepper, and white wine. Process until well blended. Using a spatula, coat the inside of the hollow loaf with about a third of the garlic-herb butter.

Cut fish fillets into 1-inch pieces, squid into strips, and slice the mushrooms. Put half the fish in the bread. Put all of the mushrooms on top of seafood. Add the last of the seafood. Add a layer of garlic-herb butter. Top with the breadcrumbs patting into butter. Sprinkle with wine.

Place entire loaf on a ridged cookie sheet and bake for about 1 hour.

Let the dish rest for 10 minutes after you take it out of the oven and cut it into large chunks or smaller pieces for an appetizer