Bouillabaisse, a classic Provençal fish soup that warms the soul and tantalizes the taste buds. The key to a truly exceptional bouillabaisse lies in its simplicity - fresh fish and seafood, aromatic herbs, and a few basic vegetables combine to create a symphony of flavors that is both rustic and refined. Serve with a classic rouille and lots of French stick for mopping up the beautifully fragrant broth. So come with us on a journey through the world of bouillabaisse - we'll explore its origins, ingredients, and techniques to help you create your own perfect pot of this iconic seafood stew.
Similar to our fish en papillote recipe this is a dish steeped in tradition and history. A classic French fish soup that originated from the city of Marseille. A soup that was created by fishermen to use up the leftover 'ugly' looking fish that no one wanted to buy at the market. From it's humble beings it become a recipe that aspiring chef's wanted to master, highly regarded by Michelin and made international famous by American chef and food writer Julia Childs. But regardless of its fame and culinary status, this fish and seafood bouillabaisse soup remains just that, a deliciously, comforting dish to serve with bread and enjoy with friends.
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What is Bouillabaisse?
This traditional French fish stew with seafood was originally a rustic poor mans dinner. The fisherman would take it home left over fish from the day. And with an abundance of fennel, oranges and tomatoes in the region, it was a go to lunch or dinner using the freshest of ingredients. Often eaten in two courses with the fish and seafood being the start to the meal, finished by the amazingly flavored soup with some crusty bread. The addition of the spice trades arriving through Europe only enhanced the traditional dish with saffron, star anise, fennel seed and chilli being added.
Ingredients
For the Provencal soup base:
- Olive oil
- 10 whole prawns - peeled/ cleaned. Keep the heads and shells
- Onion
- Fennel
- Leek
- Garlic
- Bay leave
- Parsley - fresh leaves and stalks separated.
- Dried thyme
- Red chilli
- Orange peel
- Star anise
- Saffron
- Tomato puree
- Tomatoes
- White wine
- Chicken stock
Chef's tip - The flavour profile of this dish is developed in this broth. I like to blend the base into a soup and then sieve it. Blending the ingredients creates more body, flavour, nutrition and an overall more decadent feel to the soup. Chefs all over the world have been refining the traditional bouillabaisse to find that perfect balance of taste, body and elegance.
Fish and Seafood ingredients:
Traditionally, a bouillabaisse recipe uses three different types of Mediterranean fish, either whole small fish or chopped into chunks. We like to add a variety of fresh fish and seafood depending on what's available locally.
For this recipe we used:
- Fresh fish fillets
- Mussels
- Prawn tails (leftover from base ingredients)
- Clams.
But this recipe can be flexible so source what's sustainable in your region.
Variations of fish and seafood ingredients:
- Seafood - try octopus, crabs, squid, cuttlefish or different shellfish like razor clams, diamond clams, tua tua.
- For fish - john dory, red mullet, red snapper, hake, grouper, monkfish, gurnard, halibut and haddock all work well.
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Tips for selecting fresh fish and seafood.
What ever fish and seafood you choice to use, most importantly it needs to be fresh.
Tips on choosing fresh fish and seafood:
- Mussels or shellfish - heavy in weight, clean, smelling of the sea, unopened or when tapped they close.
- Fish - dark red gills, clear eyes, doesn't have a strong fish smell, firm flesh.
- Prawns - smell fresh, make sure the heads are not black.
When choosing fish and seafood trust your instinct and if it smells a bit too fishy don't use it.
How to prepare fish and seafood.
If you are using whole small fish, make sure they are gutted, remove the scales, trim off any fins and rinse under cold water. You can also ask your local fishmonger to prepare this for you. If using larger fish or fillets cut into good size chunks.
To prepare the prawns, twist off the heads, peel off the remaining shell. Then remove the poop tube, using a sharp knife, run it down the back of the prawn and scrape out the dark vein.
For the mussels give them a good scrub with steel wool and pull of the beard. If any shells are broken or cracked don't use them.
When preparing the clams make sure you purged them in cold fresh water, so they spit out the sand. Your fishmonger may have already done this for you, if not soak them over night, in lightly salted water.
Step by step instructions.
- First prep all the soup base ingredients. Then in a large pot on a medium heat cook the prawn shells until well browned then add the onions, fennel, leek and garlic, cook until soft. Add all the herbs and spice ingredients allowing to cook for a few minutes. Then add the tomatoes and paste. Pour in the wine and allow that to reduce down before adding the chicken stock. Bring to the boil then simmering, for around 35 minutes allowing the flavours to develop and ingredients to soften.
- Cool slightly before blending all the base ingredients then pour through a fine sieve. Like we mentioned before, we blend all the ingredients to create a rich and decedent base, trust us it's well worth it. If you are making ahead you can store the base sealed in the fridge, until ready to cook the fish and seafood.
- Then gently heat the blended soup base and add your choose of fish and seafood. For perfectly cooked fish and seafood, timing is everything. Take care to place the ingredients into the broth in order of cook time. And that's your bouillabaisse done, it really is that simple.
Cooking tips - You can prepare part of this dish ahead by working through to the end of step two. The blended soup base can then be stored covered in the fridge, until you are ready to cook the fish and seafood. The base can be made in the morning or even the day before, a great option for serving at dinner parties.
How to make a rouille
Optional but traditional and amazing! Rouille is a classic sauce to serve with bouillabaisse (or any fish soup), creating another layer of flavour.
Our garlic saffron rouille uses egg, egg yolk, dijon mustard, garlic, saffron, chilli, olive oil, lemon juice and salt (season to taste).
- Using a bench top blender, simple add all the ingredients except the olive oil.
- Slowly blend and drizzle in the olive oil, through the hole in your blender lid. The rouille will start to thicken, continue until you have the desired mayonnaise consistency.
- Place in a sealed jar in the fridge, until ready to serve.
Serving suggestions.
You really can't serve this soup without fresh crusty bread. We love a French baguette but honestly any fresh bread to mop up that delicious broth works well.
And of course we recommend serving with the amazing rouille we just walked you through. Try dipping the bread from the rouille into the soup base... heaven!!!
Frequently asked questions
A classic French fish soup, it is made from two main components: a Provencal soup base, with the traditional flavours of garlic, onion, tomatoes, olive oil, fennel, saffron. Along with a mix of fresh fish and seafood.
If you see this dish on a menu and wonder why it's so expensive. It's due to the mix of fresh ingredients and the variety of fish and seafood, but that is also what gives this dish the amazing taste. So we highly recommend giving this one a try. Or even better give our homemade version a try!
Bouillabaisse is a classic French seafood soup that is both delicious and impressive to serve. Whether you're hosting a dinner party or simply treating yourself to a special meal, this dish is sure to satisfy even the most discerning palate. So what are you waiting for? Head to your local fish market and start cooking!
Bon Appetite!
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Originally published 2nd July 2020.
Recipe
Bouillabaisse recipe
Ingredients
Bouillabaisse Soup Base
- 50 ml Olive oil
- 10 ea Whole prawns peeled, deveined, keep the heads and shells
- 1 medium Onion fine sliced
- 1 Fennel bulb fine sliced, keep the fronds
- 1 Leek white part only, fine sliced
- 6 cloves Garlic chopped
- 2 ea Bay leaves
- 1 bunch Parsley rough chopped leaves, stalks kept whole
- ½ teaspoon Dried thyme
- 1 ea Red chilli Seeds removed, chopped
- 2 strips Orange peel
- 2 ea Star anise
- 1 pinch Saffron
- 2 tablespoon Tomato puree
- 2 ea Ripe tomatoes
- 100 ml White wine
- 2 ltr Chicken stock
Fish and seafood (see note 1)
- 300 g Fresh fish fillets cut into chunks
- 15 ea Fresh mussels cleaned, debearded
- 10 ea Prawn tails From soup base recipe
- 24 ea Clams purged in fresh water
Garlic Saffron Rouille (Optional)
- 1 Egg
- 1 Egg yolk
- 2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 cloves Garlic
- 1 pinch Saffron
- 1 Red chilli
- 150 ml Olive oil
- salt to taste
- Squeeze of lemon juice
Serve with
- 1 French stick or any fresh crusty bread
Instructions
Creating the soup base:
- Prep all the base ingredients.
- Grab a large pot and put on a medium heat. Add the oil allow to warm a little then add the prawn shells. Cook the shells until well browned then add the sliced onion, fennel, leek and garlic, cook until softened but not brown.
- Add the bay leaves, thyme, red chilli, orange peel, star anise, saffron, parsley stalks, continue to cook for a couple of minutes.
- Add the tomatoes and tomato paste and fry in with the vegetable base for a couple of minutes.
- Add the white wine and allow to reduce away then add the chicken stock.
- Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 35 minutes until all the vegetables are nice and soft. Remove from the heat and allow to cool a little.
Preparing your Rouille
- While your soup is simmering away its a good time to make your rouille. Grab your bench top blended, add the egg, egg yolk, mustard, chilli, garlic, saffron, pinch of salt and lemon juice, place on the lid and turn on to start blending. Slowly add the olive oil at a drizzle speed through the hole in the lid, your rouille should start to thicken as you add the oil. You want to create a mayonnaise consistency. Place in a sealed jar in the fridge, until ready to serve.
Blend the base and cook the fish and seafood:
- Using a good bench top blender, ladle the base a bit at a time (yes all the ingredients ) and blend until smooth, repeat the process until all the soup is blended. (See note 2)
- Pour the soup through a sieve, then place into a large clean pot.
- Heat the blended soup base and add the seafood, start with your fish and prawns then add your shellfish on top of this, simmer for around 5 minutes until the shells have popped open and the fish and prawns are cooked.
- Taste and season, if requided.
- Add the chopped parsley and serve with the rouille and crusty bread and enjoy!
Sara Welch
This was everything a gourmet meal should be, and then some! Easily a new favorite recipe; loved the balance of flavors!
Tara
So many wonderful, refreshing flavors packed into this soup! I especially love all the tips you provided to help make the Bouillabaisse perfect. Yum!
Sharon
This was delicious! I live on the west coast with access to fantastic seafood so this recipe was perfect. Thanks!