Bouillabaisse is a classic French seafood chowder. Use the freshest seafood possible for this recipe and serve with a flavorful rouille sauce for a memorable meal.
Bouillabaisse is a classic French dish from southern France, specifically the port city of Marseille. It calls for many different types of fish and was traditionally prepared with what the fishermen had not sold that morning.
There are many variations of bouillabaisse, and even in Marseille there is much debate about the correct way to prepare it.
Signature flavors of a bouillabaisse broth include saffron, which also gives it its orange color, orange peel, and fennel.
What fish are used in bouillabaisse?
For fillets, use firm fish such as sea bass, red mullet, haddock, halibut, cod, conger eel or guinea pig. Small whole fish can also be added. Also traditional are mussels, squid and crabs.
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Check out this classic French bouillabaisse recipe
Make-Ahead Bouillabaisse Strategies
It’s best to cook the seafood for the bouillabaisse just before serving, but you can prepare other parts of the recipe ahead of time. Make the gravy rouille in step 1 and cook the veggies and seasonings in steps 2 and 3 up to 2 days ahead of time and keep refrigerated in airtight containers.
French dishes to try with bouillabaisse
- Leek vinaigrette
- French green beans (haricot verts) with herbs
- Spinach gratin with hard boiled eggs
- Provençal endive salad
- Caramelized Onion Quiche
From the editors of Simply Recipes
Bouillabaisse
ingredients
Sauce Rouille:
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1 tablespoon hot fish stock or clam broth
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2 cloves garlicpeeled off
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1 small red hot pepper
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1/2 teaspoon Salt
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1/4 Cup Soft White breadtorn to pieces
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1/2 Cup olive oil
Bouillabaisse:
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3 lb of at least 3 different types of Fish Fillets (such as sea bass, red mullet, haddock, halibut, cod, conger eel, or red porgy), cut into 2-inch pieces
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1 lb Shellfish or mussels
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1 lb Octopus or crab
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1/4 Cup Extra virgin olive oil
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1 Cup onionsthinly sliced
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2 Leekwhite and light green parts only, thinly sliced
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1/4 fennel pearthinly sliced, or 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
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2 cloves garliccrushed
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3 big Tomatoes, roughly chopped
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1 bay Sheet
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3 branches fresh thyme
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1/2 teaspoon saffron threads
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2 teaspoon Salt
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1 Long wide stripes Orange peel
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1 Cup clam juice or fish stock
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1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
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cut rustic french breadpure or roasted
method
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Prepare the sauce rouille:
Place the hot fish stock or mussel broth in the bottom of a blender. Add the garlic and red peppers, salt and bread. Blend until very smooth. With the blender still running, slowly add olive oil and stop blending once the oil is gone. Put aside.
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Cooking onions, leeks and fennel:
Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a large (6-8 quart) saucepan over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the onions, leeks and fennel. Stir to brush the vegetables with the olive oil. Cook over medium-high heat until tender but not browned, about 10-15 minutes.
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Add garlic, tomatoes, salt and flavor:
Add the crushed garlic, chopped tomatoes, bay leaf, thyme, saffron, salt and orange zest.
Cook until tomatoes are soft and broken down, about 10 more minutes.
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Add fish:
Bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Lay the fish pieces over the vegetable mixture and pour over 2 cups of boiling water. Add clam juice or fish stock. Bring everything to the boil, reduce to a low heat and simmer uncovered for about 5 minutes.
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Add the shellfish:
Add the mussels, squid and/or crab, set aside the fish so that the shellfish are now covered with liquid and simmer, uncovered, for a further 10 minutes.
Add freshly ground black pepper and more salt to taste. Remove the bay leaves, thyme sprigs and orange zest from the broth.
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Serve with bread and rouille:
To serve, place the fish and shellfish on a platter to keep warm. Place a thick slice of crusty French bread (regular or lightly toasted) in each bowl and spoon the rouille sauce onto the bread.
Ladle the soup stock over the bread, then divide the fish and shellfish among the bowls.
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 964 | calories |
| 40g | Fat |
| 55g | carbohydrates |
| 98g | protein |
