Classic French Bouillabaisse with Rouille Sauce Recipe
Bouillabaisse is a traditional Provençal fish stew originating from the port city of Marseille, featuring a medley of fresh fish, shellfish, and aromatic herbs simmered in a saffron-infused broth. Served with rustic French bread topped with a spicy garlic and red pepper sauce called rouille, this dish offers a rich and vibrant taste of Mediterranean cuisine.
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 60 mins
- Total Time: 80 mins
- Yield: 6 servings
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: French
Ingredients
Sauce Rouille:
- 1 tablespoon hot fish stock or clam broth
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1 small red hot pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup soft white bread, pulled into bits
- 1/2 cup olive oil
Bouillabaisse:
- 3 pounds of at least 3 different kinds of fish fillets (such as sea bass, red mullet, haddock, halibut, cod, conger, or red porgy), cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1 pound mussels or clams
- 1 pound squid or crab
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup onions, thinly sliced
- 2 leeks, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced
- 1/4 fennel bulb, thinly sliced, or 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 3 large tomatoes, roughly chopped
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon saffron threads
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 long, wide strip orange zest
- 1 cup clam juice or fish stock
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Sliced rustic French bread, plain or toasted
Instructions
- Make the sauce rouille: Put the hot fish stock or clam broth into the bottom of a blender. Add the garlic and red hot pepper, salt, and bread. Blend until very smooth. With the blender still running, add olive oil slowly and stop the blending as soon as the oil disappears. Set aside.
- Cook the onions, leeks, and fennel: Heat 1/4 cup of olive oil in a large (6 to 8 quart) pot on medium high heat. When the oil is hot, add the onions, leeks, and fennel. Stir to coat the vegetables with the olive oil. Cook on medium heat until softened but not browned, about 10 to 15 minutes.
- Add the garlic, tomatoes, salt, and aromatics: Add the crushed garlic, chopped tomatoes, bay leaf, thyme, saffron, salt, and orange zest. Cook until the tomatoes are soft and broken down, about 10 more minutes.
- Add the fish: Bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Lay the fish pieces over the vegetable mixture and pour over with 2 cups of boiling water. Add clam juice or fish stock. Bring everything to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook, uncovered, for about 5 minutes.
- Add the shellfish: Add the mussels, squid, and/or crab, pushing aside the fish so that the shellfish is now covered in liquid, and simmer for 10 minutes more, uncovered.
- Season and remove aromatics: Add freshly ground black pepper, and more salt to taste. Remove the bay leaves, thyme sprigs, and orange zest from the broth.
- Serve with bread and rouille: To serve, remove the fish and shellfish to a platter to keep warm. Place a thick slice of crusty French bread (plain or lightly toasted) in each bowl and put a dollop of the rouille sauce on top of the bread. Ladle the soup broth over the bread, and then portion out fish and shellfish onto the bowls.
Notes
- Use a variety of fresh fish for a complex flavor and texture.
- The rouille sauce adds a spicy and garlicky kick; adjust the amount of red hot pepper to your taste.
- Be careful not to overcook the fish and shellfish to maintain tenderness.
- Serve immediately to enjoy the stew at its best.
- Optionally, toasted French bread can be used for added crunch.
