substitute for saffron?

**ml2620** · 12-29-2009, 04:45 PM

My husband and I watched a julia child marathon on tv last weekend and now he is obsessed with making a bouillabase (sp?) French fish stew.

I went to the store for ingredients and saffron was 16 dollars for a jar!!!

What do you recommend for a substitute?

**ladykemma2** · 12-29-2009, 04:46 PM

turmeric..................

**Ceashels** · 12-29-2009, 04:55 PM

Turmeric will substitute the color but the flavor is unique and too much tastes metallic.

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_a_saffron_substitute

**Josephhgoins** · 12-29-2009, 05:00 PM

check other stores, you may want to go to a spice market. Usually they will sell you the amount you need so you would only spend a couple of bucks.

**frugalwarrior2** · 12-29-2009, 05:04 PM

LOL. We just watched Julie and Julia. Now I want beef bourgenion. But I can't even spell it.
I agree use tumeric.

**itlw8** · 12-29-2009, 05:09 PM

my favorite rice is yellow rice that has saffron in it... I wonder if you could but that and somhow sift the powder off of it ??? I doubt it but it sounds good.

**Contrary Housewife** · 12-29-2009, 07:14 PM

Turmeric tastes nothing like saffron.

I find the best price for it is at Indian grocery stores. Hopefully you have one near you.

Saffron is one of the world's most expensive seasonings. There's nothing wrong with just leaving it out.

**nancycg56** · 12-29-2009, 07:26 PM

If I couldn't buy just the amount I needed, I would leave it out.

**mauimagic** · 12-29-2009, 07:27 PM

Interesting - I think that I would leave it out personally.

**CAJudi** · 12-30-2009, 12:05 AM

I would not use tumeric -- it is definitely not the same flavor as saffron.

I have a cute little jar of saffron from Trader Joe's I bought last year. I *think* it was about 5 or 6 dollars. To stretch it, use your coffee grinder or mortar and pestle to turn it into a powder.

**Grainlady** · 12-30-2009, 07:10 AM

When you need a substitute for an ingredient, check The Cook's Thesaurus - www.foodsubs.com.

Here's what they recommend:

Substitutes: turmeric (for color, not flavor; use 4 times as much) OR safflower (use 8 times as much; less expensive and imparts similar color, but taste is decidedly inferior) OR marigold blossoms (for color, not flavor; use twice as much) OR annatto seeds (Steep 1 teaspoon annatto seeds in 1/4 cup of boiling water for 30 minutes, discard seeds. Reduce liquid in recipe by 1/4 cup.) OR red and yellow food coloring

**ml2620** · 12-30-2009, 07:15 AM

DH invited our neighbor over for dinner because he borrowed a pinch of saffron from her. And you know what? We could not for the life of us taste the saffron in the bouillabaisse. As far as we could tell, it made no difference at all.

So, if you ever make Julia Child's bouillabaisse, I think you can skip the saffron! And the stew was great, incredibly hardy and very, very filling.

**shoiji** · 12-30-2009, 01:05 PM

Would definately go with the annato seeds. You can also put the seeds in oil in a pan over medium heat. Watch the seeds carefully and once the oil is a bright red/orange take the oil off the heat and pour the colander to catch seeds. Use the oil to replace any called for in the recipe.