France | Soups & Stews | Fish

Bouillabaisse

(French Provencal seafood stew)

Servings: 6-8


INGREDIENTS PREP AMOUNT
Soup
Oil, olive 1/4 cup
Onion chopped 1 each
Celery chopped 2 ribs
Garlic crushed 4 cloves
 
Fish heads & bones (see notes) 2-3 lbs
Water 2 quarts
White wine (opt.) 1 cup
Tomatoes chopped 1 lb
Orange peel no pith 1 piece, about 2-3" long
Parsley 6-8 sprigs
Bay leaf 1 each
Thyme, fresh or dry 2 sprigs or 1 tsp
Fennel bulb, or dried fennel seed (opt.) chopped 1 bulb or 1 tsp
Saffron (opt.) 1 pinch
Salt 2 tsp
Peppercorns 6-8 each
 
Fish & seafood (see notes) 5-6 lbs
 
Rouille
Pepper, red bell roasted, peeled, seeded 1 each
Potato cooked, peeled 1 each
Pepper, hot chile seeded, minced 1 each
Garlic crushed 4 cloves
Basil, fresh chopped 2 Tbsp
Broth from above 1/4 to 1/3 cup
Salt & pepper to taste
Oil, olive 1/4 cup
 
French bread sliced, toasted 2-3 pieces per person

METHOD

Basic Steps:  Sauté → Simmer → Strain → Blend → Simmer
  1. In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over a medium flame. Add the onions and celery, and sauté slowly till onions are wilted and translucent.
  2. Add the second set of ingredients and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 30-40 minutes.
  3. Strain the broth, and adjust seasoning. (Recipe can be prepared up to this point and the broth kept in the fridge till needed.)
  4. Meanwhile make the rouille. Puree the first set of ingredients, using just a little of the broth, in a blender or food processor. With the blender or processor running, gradually pour in the olive oil. Thin out the sauce a little with the rest of the broth. Sauce should remain thick, however. Place in a sauce boat or small bowl.
  5. Bring the broth to a simmer again over medium heat. Add the fish and seafood in batches, starting with the firmest fish first and ending with the most delicate seafood. Simmer until all the fish and seafood is cooked through, about 10 minutes.
  6. Place the toasted bread in the bottom of each individual's bowl. Place a piece of each of the types of fish and seafood over the bread in each bowl, and spoon the broth over all. Pass rouille at the table for each guest to stir into the bouillabaisse.

VARIATIONS

  • Use 1 leek instead of the onion if you like.
  • Add 1 cup of peeled, seeded and chopped tomatoes after straining the broth you like.
  • Add 1/4 cup Pernod liquor to the broth if you like.

NOTES

  • Bouillabaisse is one of the great dishes of French Provençal cuisine, and there are as many opinions about how to make it as their are hairs on a Frenchman's head. Ideally it is made with rascasse, an ugly fish found only in the Mediterranean. But feel free to make it with any combination of fish and seafood available to you. Try to use as many different types as possible as it improves the flavor.
  • This is special food. It is a good dish to make when you are having a number of guests. Traditionally the fish is strained out of the broth at the end and served on a platter, while the broth is poured into a soup terrine and ladled into bowls at the table.
  • If you can, buy the fish whole and have your fishmonger clean and fillet it for you. Have him save the bones and heads for you to use in the broth. Otherwise, ask him if he has heads and bones to sell. Don't use bones from any oily fish (salmon, mackerel). If all else fails, just substitute bottled clam juice for half the water.
  • Rouille can be used as a garnish for other Provençal fish dishes or simply spread on bread and eaten.