Bouillabaisse
By tradition bouillabaisse was the soup Marseille fishermen cooked from the fish they could not sell. In this home version its heart is an aromatic broth with saffron and orange peel, into which the fish goes only in the final minutes — the largest pieces first, the most delicate last.
Your own work in that: 0 min.
- Vegetable base 20 min
- Fish broth 35 min
- Rouille sauce 10 min
- Adding the fish 10 min
Step by step
0 / 6 doneSoften the vegetable base
Slice the fennel, leek and onion thinly. Cook in olive oil for 12 minutes over medium heat until soft without browning. Add the garlic, tomatoes and strips of orange peel and cook another 8 minutes.
Ingredients: 1 pcs fennel · 1 pcs leek · 1 pcs onion · 4 cloves garlic · 400 g tomatoes · 4 tbsp olive oil · 1 pcs orange
TipOrange peel is this soup's signature. Take it off with a peeler, leaving the white pith behind.
Fennel and orange peel — two Provençal accents.Steep the saffron
Crush the saffron threads between your fingers and pour over 3 tablespoons of hot stock (warm a little from the measured amount). Leave 10 minutes — in hot liquid saffron releases its colour and aroma quickly and evenly, while thrown in dry it does so slowly and patchily.
Ingredients: 1500 ml fish stock · 200 ml white wine · 1 pinch saffron · 2 tsp thyme · 2 pcs bay leaves · 2 tsp salt
Simmer the broth
Pour in the wine and reduce for 3 minutes, then add the stock, steeped saffron, thyme, bay and salt. Simmer gently for 30 minutes uncovered until the flavours merge and the liquid reduces by a fifth.
Ingredients: 1500 ml fish stock · 200 ml white wine · 1 pinch saffron · 2 tsp thyme · 2 pcs bay leaves · 2 tsp salt
Saffron dyes the broth a deep orange.Make the rouille
Mix the mayonnaise with crushed garlic, paprika and chilli plus a spoonful of hot broth for colour. The sauce should be thick and distinctly garlicky — it is what seasons the soup at the table. Slice the baguette and toast the slices in an oven preheated to 200 °C for 5–7 minutes, until crisp.
Ingredients: 150 g mayonnaise · 2 cloves garlic · 1 tsp sweet paprika · ¼ tsp chilli flakes · 1 pcs baguette
Rouille should be strong — a mild one misses the point.Add the fish in order
Add the cod in large chunks first, for 3 minutes, then the salmon for 3 minutes, and finally the prawns for 2–3 minutes — about 9 minutes in all over low heat. Do not stir — shake the pot. Fish is done when it flakes under a fork.
Ingredients: 400 g cod · 300 g salmon · 250 g prawns
TipOvercooked fish shreds. Better to turn the heat off a minute early — it finishes in the hot broth.
Order decides everything: big chunks first, prawns last.Serve with croutons
Ladle into bowls, removing the orange peel and bay leaves. Serve with croutons spread with rouille — you dunk them in the soup and the sauce dissolves into the broth.
Ingredients: 150 g mayonnaise · 2 cloves garlic · 1 tsp sweet paprika · ¼ tsp chilli flakes · 1 pcs baguette
Before you start
Choosing the fish
A classic Marseille bouillabaisse is made from several kinds of Mediterranean rockfish, such as scorpion fish, gurnard or monkfish. At home, firm white fish works well — cod, hake, monkfish — and the salmon can be replaced with more white fish or with mussels.
Stock from the heads
Simmer stock from heads and bones for 25 minutes — no longer or it turns bitter. It tastes noticeably better than shop-bought.
Without saffron
Saffron cannot be replaced with turmeric — you get colour without flavour. Half a pinch of the real thing beats a whole teaspoon of substitute.
