Tags
bouillabaisse, cod, fish, fishbroth, mussels, prawns, saffronbroth, Salmon, shellfish
With the combination of the days getting a little cooler and the fact that I have not been traveling, I had a craving for a little taste of Marseille in the south of France.
Although this is not Chef Guillaume Sourrieu’s famous bouillabaisse as served at L’Épuisette, in Marseille, (and I am just a home cook) it is rich, complex, and deeply layered with flavours of saffron, fennel, orange zest and so much more.
Just like Chef Guillaume Sourrieu might expect, bouillabaisse changes with the type of fresh fish caught that day. So be creative and use what is fresh in your part of the world. I typically use Salmon, Cod, Prawns, and Mussels.
Entertaining Note:
Wine: This dish pairs well with Sauvignon Blanc-based whites including white Bordeaux, as well as Provencale rosés.
You can serve this dish as an entree or a starter. In the case of an entree use larger serving dishes to make an impression. As a starter, the portion would use smaller pieces of fish, three prawns, and three mussels.
Bouillabaisse
This is a rich flavoured bouillabaisse similar to the ones you would find in the south of France, but with local fish from my part of the world.
Ingredients
- 4 cups fishbones (can use a piece of fish, but keep it separate from the cod and salmon)
- 1 pound prawn shells
- 6 cups water
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 small shallot diced
- 1 large yellow onion diced
- 1 large leek diced
- 1 medium fennel bulb and fronds diced
- 6 garlic cloves crushed
- 1/2 teaspoon whole fennel seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon saffron threads
- Zest of 1 large orange
- 1/4 teaspoon red chili powder
- 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary chopped
- 2 sprigs of thyme
- 1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley chopped
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 6 fresh roma tomatoes diced
- 2 cups dry white wine
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pound salmon fillets (cut into six portions)
- 1 pound cod fillets (or any other white fish that is local to your area) (cut into six portions)
- 18 mussels
- 18 prawns
Rouille Toast
- 3 medium cloves of garlic
- 1/4 teaspoon saffron threads
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 small baguette cut into thin slices
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, to toast bread extra virgin
Instructions
- Fish Stock: In a large pot add fish bones (or fish if using – not your cod or salmon), prawn shells, water, salt, peppercorns, bay leaf. Bring to a rapid boil and cook for 30 minutes.
- Chop up the vegetables. (shallot, onion, leek, a fennel bulb, tomatoes, parsley, rosemary)
- Zest one large orange.
- Crush garlic cloves.
- In a large Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium heat.
- Add shallot, onion, leek, fennel, garlic, fennel seeds, saffron, orange zest, chili pepper, rosemary, bay leaf, and thyme sprigs to the heated olive oil. Cook until the vegetables have softened for about 15 minutes. Stir regularly and be careful not to brown the vegetables.
- Add chopped tomatoes and cook, stirring for 5 minutes longer.
- Add and stir in tomato paste and cook for 5 minutes.
- Add fish stock including prawn shells and fish bones and mix well.
- Add white wine stirring to scrape up any bits from the sides or bottom of the pot.
- Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then boil until the alcohol smell has cooked off, about 5 minutes.
- Add parsley, rosemary, and bay leaf, increase heat to high, and bring broth to a rapid boil for 5 minutes. Then lower the heat to a simmer and continue to cook for 1 hour. Season with salt and pepper. Remove the bay leaf.
- Working in batches, transfer the broth and all the ingredients, including the fish bones, to a blender. Remove the top vent from the blender lid, cover with a clean kitchen towel, and turn the blender on at the lowest speed, then gradually increase the speed and blend until the mixture is as smooth as possible. This will take a little time.
- Place a fine-mesh strainer over a clean pot and working in batches, transfer the blended soup to the strainer, using a spoon, push the broth through the strainer, scraping and pressing, until only bones and dry material are left. Season strained broth with salt and pepper.
- Return the broth to the heat and bring it to a simmer. Cut the fish into 6 equal portions and add to the broth to poach gently. Once the fish is cooked remove it from the broth and put it on a warm platter.
- Clean the mussels and add them to the broth and cook until they have just opened (discarding any that have not opened) then add the prawns to the broth and cook until they have just turned pink.
Rouille Toast
- Using a mortar and pestle or a food blender process the garlic, chili pepper, saffron, and egg yolk to a paste.
- While pounding with the pestle, or with the blender running at its lowest speed, drizzle in the olive oil until a thick, mayonnaise consistency is reached.
- Refrigerate the rouille until ready to use. You can keep the rouille for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
- Slice the baguette into thin slices. Then place the bread slices on a cooking sheet in a single layer. Drizzle the slices with olive oil and toast in a 350-degree oven. Top each piece of toast with a dollop of rouille and serve with the Bouillabaisse.
To Plate an appetizer or starter portion:
- Place a rouille toast in the centre of each dish, add the fish, mussels, and prawns on top of the toast in the centre and then pour the soup broth around the fish. For a starter portion serve each guest, 3 prawns, 3 mussels, one piece of cod, and one piece of salmon.
Notes
Type of Fish:
Select the variety of fresh fish you can find in your area. This can include a variety of delicate or firm fish. Some examples could be salmon, cod, sea bass, sea bream, branzino, snapper, turbot, monkfish, whiting. I use salmon and cod because I can often get these fish fresh in our area of the world.
Serving Size Note:
This recipe will serve 6 starter portions or 4 entree portions.
Enjoy!
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!