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Bouillabaisse

Name: Bouillabaisse
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 70 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 600 g Firm white fish fillets; 200 g Raw prawns, peeled; 400 g Fresh mussels, cleaned; 1 l Fish stock; 150 g Onion; 100 g Leek; 150 g Fennel bulb; 5 cloves Garlic cloves; 300 g Ripe tomatoes; 150 ml Dry white wine; 1 g Saffron threads; 5 g Orange zest; 2 leaves Bay leaves; 3 sprigs Fresh thyme sprigs; 40 ml Extra-virgin olive oil; 8 piece Stale white bread; 80 g Mayonnaise; 1 piece Fresh red chilli; 8 g Fine sea salt

A Provençal fisherman's stew of mixed white fish, prawns and mussels in a saffron-and-fennel broth, served with garlic-rubbed toasts and a spicy rouille.

Prep: 30 min
Cook: 40 min
Difficulty: Intermediate

About this dish

Bouillabaisse began as the fisherman's own dinner in Marseille — the bony, unsellable rockfish left over after the good catch went to market, boiled hard (its name is thought to come from bouillir, to boil, and abaisser, to lower the heat) with whatever aromatics were on the boat. Saffron and orange zest, both once cheap trade goods through Marseille's port, gave the broth its colour and lift. It only became a formal restaurant dish, with strict rules about which fish qualify, in the 20th century — the poor man's stew is now one of France's most defended culinary identities.

Lactose-free
Not vegetarian because of Firm white fish fillets, Raw prawns, peeled, Fresh mussels, cleaned, Fish stock
Contains gluten because of Stale white bread

Ingredients

4servings

600gFirm white fish fillets
200gRaw prawns, peeled
400gFresh mussels, cleaned
1lFish stock
150gOnion
100gLeek
150gFennel bulb
5clovesGarlic cloves
300gRipe tomatoes
150mlDry white wine
1gSaffron threads
5gOrange zest
2leavesBay leaves
3sprigsFresh thyme sprigs
40mlExtra-virgin olive oil
8piecesStale white bread
80gMayonnaise
1pieceFresh red chilli
8gFine sea salt

Instructions

Soften the onion, leek and fennel in the olive oil for 8 minutes, add the garlic and chopped tomatoes, and cook 2 minutes more.
10 min
Tip: Cut the fennel and leek small and even — the vegetables should almost melt into the broth, not remain as separate chunks in the finished stew.
Add the fish stock, white wine, saffron, orange zest, bay and thyme, bring to a boil and simmer 20 minutes.
20 min
Tip: A hard boil, not a gentle simmer, is traditional here — it's what emulsifies the olive oil into the broth instead of leaving it floating on top.
Add the firm white fish first and cook 4 minutes, then the prawns and mussels, and cook a further 5–6 minutes until the mussels open.
10 min
Tip: Staggering the seafood by how fast it cooks is the only way everything arrives on the plate done at the same time, not some overcooked and some raw.
Toast the bread, rub with a cut garlic clove, and serve alongside a rouille made by stirring the mayonnaise with crushed garlic, a pinch of saffron and finely chopped chilli.
5 min
Tip: Spread the rouille on the toast and float it in your bowl of broth — it's meant to slowly dissolve into the soup as you eat, not sit on the side as a garnish.