Ingredients
| FOR THE SOUP | |
| 5 tablespoons olive oil | |
| 100g chopped leeks (white part only) | |
| 100g chopped onions | |
| 250g tomatoes, skinned, seeded, chopped | |
| 3 cloves garlic, 2 crushed, 1 halved | |
| 1 handful mixed herbs, such as flat-leaf parsley and fennel fronds | |
| 1 bay leaf | |
| pinch of saffron threads | |
| 2½kg fish fillets, such as whiting (silver hake), monkfish, gurnard, red mullet (goatfish) or John Dory | |
| 1kg crustaceans, such as spiny lobsters and langoustines (Norwegian lobster) | |
| 800g mussels, cleaned | |
| slices of bread, for toasting | |
| salt and pepper | |
| FOR THE ROUILLE | |
| 2 cloves garlic | |
| 3 small hot peppers, seeded | |
| 2 egg yolks | |
| 1¼ cups/300ml olive oil | |
| salt |
A generously flavoured fisherman’s soup from the town of Marseille, bouillabaisse makes the most of the local catch. It was originally a pauper’s broth, and the langoustine (Norwegian lobster) or spiny lobster suggested here is not obligatory; it just shows that you can make a fancy dish out of it, fit for a dinner party. The selection of fish, crustaceans and shellfish may vary, but it’s good to achieve a balance between robust rock fish and delicate varieties (always be careful not to overcook the latter). It is usually served as a main dish with toast and rouille, a kind of garlicky red pepper mayonnaise.
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Instructions
| 1. | Make the soup: Heat the oil in a large pot over medium–low heat, add the leeks, onions, tomatoes and crushed garlic, and fry for 5 minutes. |
| 2. | Season with salt and pepper and add the herbs, bay leaf and saffron. |
| 3. | Slice the thicker fish (such as monkfish) and add to the pan along with the crustaceans. |
| 4. | Cover with 6¼ cups/1½ litres water. Rapidly bring to a boil and cook for 7 minutes. Add the more delicate fish. |
| 5. | Continue to cook over high heat for another 5 minutes, then add the mussels and cook for 3 minutes. |
| 6. | Meanwhile, make the rouille: Pound the garlic and hot peppers to a paste with a mortar and pestle, then add the egg yolks and season with salt. |
| 7. | Gradually add the olive oil, stirring constantly, until thick and smooth. |
| 8. | Add 1 tablespoon of the fish cooking liquid and set aside. |
| 9. | Check the seasoning of the bouillabaisse and add more salt and pepper if necessary. |
| 10. | Toast the bread and rub it with the halved clove of garlic. |
| 11. | Put the garlic toast in a soup tureen, and pour the fish cooking juices over. |
| 12. | Serve the fish, crustaceans and mussels separately on a serving dish, accompanied by the rouille. |
This is an extract from
Classic French Recipes
by Ginette Mathiot,
published by Phaidon,
$80. Photography
Marie-Pierre Morel.
phaidon.com