Authentic Bouillabaisse Recipe
Marseille, France
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We strongly advise you to read the cooking tips before jumping to the recipe though
Introduction & history
Prepared with only the freshest of Mediterranean fish and enriched with the flavors of Provençal herbs, this one-pot stew is traditionally served in two separate courses — the zesty fish broth is served first with a dollop of rich, garlicky rouille sauce and garlic-rubbed croûtons, while the fish is served separately. Frédéric Mistral, French writer and lexicographer of the Occitan language, provided the most plausible etymological explanation of the word bouillabaisse, hypothesizing that it stems from the Provençal boui abaisso. This phrase literally translates to “boiled down”, and comes from a description of the cooking process – “quand ça bouille tu baisses” (lit. when it boils, you lower [the heat]).
Serve With
Cooking tips
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fish
For a successful bouillabaisse, it is crucial to prepare it with the freshest, non-oily fish. According to the Bouillabaisse Charter, an authentic bouillabaisse should have at least four of the following types of fish: scorpionfish, white scorpionfish, red mullet, skate, conger eel, and John Dory. Do your rounds at the local fish market and pick different types of rockfish that will give the soup ... Read more -
essentials
According to the Michelin Guide Vert, the four essential elements of a good bouillabaisse are the presence of rascasse (scorpionfish), the freshness of the fish, extra virgin olive oil, and pure, genuine saffron in the form of threads which imparts an amazing color and, more importantly, the unmistakable flavor. -
rouille
The French word “rouille” translates as “rust”, referring to the color of this classic bouillabaisse sauce. Rouille has numerous variations: originally it was a mixture of red pepper and saffron combined with a couple of tablespoons of the broth added back to the soup to give it color, but over time it has evolved and now there are dozens of Provençal variations, some based on mayonnaise, some on ... Read more -
optional ingredients
A heated debate among purists is whether or not ingredients such as orange peel, pastis, and shellfish have a place in an authentic bouillabaisse. Often recipes will include white wine, which is something purists also disagree with. However, for a home cook making bouillabaisse, there is no harm in experimenting with these ingredients.
Recipe variations
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London Bouillabaisse
Ready in 3h 40minThis recipe is from Bruno Loubet, a Michelin-starred French chef and one of the most innovative chefs on the London culinary scene. In his variant, Loubet has successfully tweaked and refined the classic Mediterranean bouillabaisse recipe for the local British Isles ingredients. Since there is no scorpionfish in the UK, this recipe opts for gurnard and monkfish, both ideally suited for fish stews.
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Bouillabaisse Marseillaise
Ready in 2h 20minIn line with the Bouillabaisse Charter from 1980, this version of the bouillabaisse Marseillaise recipe is considered to be the authentic one. It features all the traditional ingredients and components — the fish stock, six types of rockfish, and the rouille sauce. Once finished, the fish and cooked potatoes are arranged on a platter, and the fish soup is served separately, topped with croutons and rouille sauce.
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Classic Bouillabaisse
Ready in 2h 30minThis recipe features the most basic preparation of the French classic and suggests that at least four of the following Mediterranean fish must be included: scorpionfish, mullet gurnard, crayfish, monkfish, weever, white scorpion, and eel. Optional ingredients include clams, mussels, John Dory, slipper lobster, and shrimps. The stew is flavored with saffron, Provençal herbs, and orange zest.
London Bouillabaisse
PREP 2h
COOK 1h 40min
READY IN 3h 40min
This recipe is from Bruno Loubet, a Michelin-starred French chef and one of the most innovative chefs on the London culinary scene. In his variant, Loubet has successfully tweaked and refined the classic Mediterranean bouillabaisse recipe for the local British Isles ingredients. Since there is no scorpionfish in the UK, this recipe opts for gurnard and monkfish, both ideally suited for fish stews.
Ingredients
London Bouillabaisse
FISH (about 1.5kg/3.3 lbs trimmed fish fillets)
2 x 800g (28 oz) gurnard, gutted, headed, finned, and skinned
1 x 600g (21 oz), bass, scaled and gutted, headed and finned
1-2 red mullets, scaled and gutted, headed and finned
700g (24 oz) monkfish tail, filleted into 10 equal portions
About 60 cleaned mussels
300g (10.5 oz) cleaned squid or cuttlefish cut into 10 pieces
VEGETABLES
1 large onion, chopped
200g (7 oz) green leek tops, chopped
200g (7 oz) sliced carrots
200g (7 oz) roughly diced outer layers of fennel
100g (3.5 oz) roughly chopped celery
SOUP - STAGE 1
200 ml (3/4 cup + 1 tbsp + 1 tsp) olive oil
1 kg (2.2 lbs) vegetable mirepoix (a mixture of equal parts carrots, onions, and celery, finely diced)
salt, to taste
flavorings: 1 tsp each coriander and fennel seeds, toasted and crushed, 1 star anise, 3 sprigs thyme, 1 sprig rosemary, 1 bay leaf, peeled zest of 1 orange, 1/2tsp piment d’Espelette (smoked paprika), about 10 cloves crushed garlic
250 ml (1 cup) dry white wine
350g (12.3 oz) canned tomato passata
1 kg (2.2 lbs) freshly roasted fish bones and trimmings
2 L (8 1/2 cups) water
SOUP - FINISHING
Soup base (Stage 1)
1 large pinch saffron threads, about 1g
Pernod pastis, to taste
1/2 tsp piment d’Espelette
salt and pepper, to taste
tomato purée (optional)
BOUILLABAISSE (Each serving)
200 ml (3/4 cup + 1 tbsp + 1 tsp) soup base
50g (1.75 oz) monkfish
50g (1.75 oz) gurnard
1 piece bass
1 piece red mullet
1-2 pieces cooked fennel heart
1 piece of squid
6 mussels
3-4 cooked leek rings
3-4 pieces boiled potato
Preparation
London Bouillabaisse
Preheat the oven to 220°C/430°F and start by dry-roasting fish heads, bones and trimmings; this makes for a cleaner-looking fish broth with a more concentrated flavor. Spread out the heads, bones and trimmings on a roasting tin, brush with olive oil, and put them in a hot oven for about 10 minutes.
Reserve whites of the leeks and hearts of the fennel and poach them separately. Set them aside, and put them in the soup when it's done. Use the remaining chopped vegetables for mirepoix.
To make the soup, sauté the mirepoix in half of the oil over low heat. Once the vegetables start to wilt, season with salt then pour in the remaining oil.
Once the vegetables are cooked, first, set the heat to high, then stir in the flavorings, pour in the wine, and bring to a boil. Next, add the tomato, then bring to a boil once again. Add the fish bones and the trimmings, then pour in water, so everything is covered by about two fingers of water. Bring to a boil a third time, then lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
To finish the soup, blend the soup base with an immersion blender until you have a coarse purée, then filter it through a fine sieve. If you want to add tomato purée for color, whisk it into the broth at this point.
Taste the broth; if it needs concentrating, reduce over medium heat until a stronger flavor develops. Then, add the saffron, Pernod, piment d’Espelette, salt, and pepper. Simmer for a little longer to extract the color and aromas.
For each serving of bouillabaisse, bring the 200 ml (3/4 cup + 1 tbsp + 1 tsp) of soup base to the boil, add the monkfish and gurnard and simmer for no longer than 2 minutes. Add the other ingredients. Take it off from direct heat but keep it hot until you serve it.
Other Variations
-
Bouillabaisse Marseillaise
Ready in 2h 20minIn line with the Bouillabaisse Charter from 1980, this version of the bouillabaisse Marseillaise recipe is considered to be the authentic one. It features all the traditional ingredients and components — the fish stock, six types of rockfish, and the rouille sauce. Once finished, the fish and cooked potatoes are arranged on a platter, and the fish soup is served separately, topped with croutons and rouille sauce.
-
Classic Bouillabaisse
Ready in 2h 30minThis recipe features the most basic preparation of the French classic and suggests that at least four of the following Mediterranean fish must be included: scorpionfish, mullet gurnard, crayfish, monkfish, weever, white scorpion, and eel. Optional ingredients include clams, mussels, John Dory, slipper lobster, and shrimps. The stew is flavored with saffron, Provençal herbs, and orange zest.
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