Bouillabaise, Simplified

Recipe Source: Bouillabaisse, Simplified

Recipe Type: Stew, pesce-vegetarian (fish)

Bouillabaisse is the traditional fisherman's stew from the southern french region of Provence. The best bouillabaisse in the world--or, depending on the strictness of your bouillabaisse doctrine, the only real bouillabaisse-- comes from Marseilles. In fact true fanatics will only allow that real bouillabaisse is served from a certain restaurant that lines the harbor in Marseilles. Of course, depending on who you are talking to, the name of that restaurant will change.

I spent about a year in the Provence region and went to Marseilles a few times. I didn't buy into the bouillabaisse culture; it's only fish stew. I had eaten fish stew many times before. I never ate this dish when I was in Marseilles. I never stopped at one of those little restaurants lining the harbor. Little cafe/restaurants that are an odd combination of a complete tourist trap and a restaurant serving a committed local market.

However, I did have Bouillabaisse when I was in Provence. I had it in Arles in a little restaurant right across from the Roman arena. I was with my dad and, wise traveler that he is, he is devoted to trying regional specialties. So, I ordered the Bouillabaisse. And it was amazing. One of those food experiences where the smells, the tastes, and the textures of the dish so completely overload your ability to process pleasure that you can do nothing but vocalize 'mmmmm'. I became a Bouillabaisse convert.

I never made it back to Marseilles after my experience in Arles. In fact, I had never had Bouillabaisse again. However, that one experience convinced me that this was something I had to make.

Making a good Bouillabaisse is quite a challenge, even if you live on the ocean and can go to a lively fish market to buy the leavings at the end of the day-- traditional Bouillabaisse is made from what ever is leftover. Living in the Midwest, finding the fish for my stew presented a challenge. Finally, I stumbled upon the recipe for Bouillabaisse, Simplified which directs the cook to simply buy two or three different kinds of fish and then set about making a modern version of a classic french fisherman's stew.

Luckily for me, I had clam juice already frozen in my freezer from a clam chowder adventure. I found tiger prawns on managers special at Kroger, and bought some halibut pieces from Trader Joe's. After these purchases, the remaining challenges consisted of finding a fennel bulb (in Indiana I find Meijer a good bet for strange vegetables) and making the rouille, which is essential to any good Boullibaisse.

The Boullibaisse recipe is as follows and is modified from the above link.



2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic (or more), peeled and smashed (or pressed)
1 large onion, peeled and sliced
1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced
1 pinch saffron, soaked in 2 tablespoons orange juice for 10 minutes1 strip orange zest
1 (14-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, in juice
3 cups seafood stock (sold at most fish markets) or clam juice
3 cups white wine
Some or all of the following seafood (ask your fish seller for enough to serve 4 to 6 people): halibut, cod, tilapia, or snapper (in large chunks); shell-on large shrimp or lump crabmeat; clams or mussels
1 bunch Italian parsley, chopped

Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, onion, and fennel and saute until just brown, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the saffron (if using), orange zest, tomatoes, and stock or clam juice. Bring to a boil and cook until the vegetables are tender and the liquid is reduced by half, about 20 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and add the fish (but not shellfish). Cook for about 2 minutes. Add any clams, mussels, and shrimp. Simmer until the shells just begin to open, about 4 minutes more. Add any crabmeat. Cook until all shells have opened, the shrimp is pink and curled, and the fish flakes easily, about 2 minutes. Serve from the pot, sprinkled with the parsley and topped with crusty bread and a dollop of rouille.

The essential ingredients for flavor are the fennel, the saffron, and orange. Fennel is not a vegetable that most Americans are accustomed to working with, and it does not chop like an onion. Make certain you remove the woody part at the bottom of the bulb that all of the fronds connect too, and then chop away. Saffron is not something that is in most kitchens due to its price, I bought 1g from Penzey's Spices and used the tiniest amount to complete this recipe. I modified this recipe by halving the clam juice and adding some white wine to replace the liquid, and at least doubling the garlic.

This stew was served with rouille, which likely deserves its own blog post. rouille is a mayonnaise like sauce that comes from the region of Provence and is often served with fish, and always served with Bouillabaisse. Rouille apparently is excellent with bruschetta, which is great because this recipe makes more than enough to serve along side the Bouillabaisse.

2 red bell peppers
6 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon salt
1 fresh jalapeño chile, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Lay bell peppers on their sides on racks of gas burners and turn flame on high. (Or put on rack of broiler pan about 2 inches from heat.) Roast, turning with tongs, until skins are blackened, 8 to 12 minutes. Transfer peppers to a bowl, then cover and let steam 20 minutes. Remove skin and seeds from peppers and tear flesh into large pieces. Mash garlic to a paste with salt using a mortar and pestle (or mince and mash with a large knife). Purée bell peppers, garlic paste, jalapeño, and bread crumbs in a food processor. With motor running, slowly add oil, then lemon juice and pepper, blending until very smooth (it will look like an orange-pink mayonnaise).

This sauce is amazing. On our Bouillabaisse evening I worked on the stew while Dennis made the rouille. Flavor-wise, roasting the red peppers is essential. We did have a fresh garden jalapeno on hand, but any hot chili would work for this. I have a bag of dried cayenne peppers right now that my dad grew in his garden and we added those as well as we like our food spicy. The rouille can absolutely be made ahead to go with the Bouillabaisse. It is so tasty that you may decide it is simply something that needs to be kept around. Its good for eating with bread and olive oil, and I am sure it has many under appreciated culinary uses.


So how was our dinner?

Amazing. I had the same experience that I had in Arles where every bite of Bouillabaisse burst in the mouth with the most phenomenal combination of flavors. My fish stew tasted like the sea, like the sun, and like my year spent in Provence. The rouille made the dish. All either Dennis or I could say was 'mmmmmm'.

I wasn't in Arles, across from the Roman Arena, with the atmosphere of Provence--and amazing olive oil. But, I managed to recreate a slice of that in my kitchen. With a nice bottle of wine and some homemade crusty bread, the Bouillabaisse and rouille it was a Friday night success. We could not have done better if we had gone out.