Bouillabaisse
Bouillabaisse is a fairly simple dish, it's merely a fish stew with seafood, fennel, thyme, and saffron, originating from the city of Marseille, France. This classic French dish was created when fishermen threw in fish and other ingredients they could not sell to restaurants and markets.
Like most simple food, (especially peasant dishes) that originated from scraps and have become delicious delicacies in restaurants today, bouillabaisse is no different. I have had this dish a few different ways, from traditionally classic in France to modern and divergent recipes. Whilst there is no perfect formula for bouillabaisse, to me, several components make it the traditional bouillabaisse that I love, having white fish (your preferred ocean fish is fine), fennel, leek, thyme, and of course, saffron threads present in the stew.
Usually, you would use pastis (a herbal liqueur), which has flavour notes of aniseed, and liquorice but to mimic those notes, I have used a piece of the stalk of fennel and vermouth. I used vermouth because it's what I had on hand and the taste is amazing but any dry white wine of your preference will work. View tips below!
Helpful Tips
You need to make sure that you nail your stock, as long as you have a good-tasting stock, the rest will fall into place because seafood doesn't take long to cook. I hope you enjoy the recipe, use it as a base to add your favourite seafood. I have used a variety including, mussels, scallops, cod, and shrimp.
A great tip when planning this dish is to make seafood stock. You can do this easily, as I did, by saving the shells of seafood to create a tasty stock (*See FAQs for a quick stock). In this recipe, you can use homemade seafood stock or clam juice.
I used the Emile Henry Sublime Dutch oven for this recipe. See other options below.
Equipment:
Make this hearty stew, bouillabaisse, a modern take on the Provençal fish stew. It's made with vegetables, seafood, and dry vermouth.
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons (114g) unsalted butter
- 1 fennel bulb, cored, washed, and finely sliced (separate fronds for garnish)
- 1 leek (thinly sliced and washed well)
- 1 small onion (diced)
- 1/4 teaspoon each of black pepper and kosher salt
- 6 large cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3 stems fresh thyme, de-stemmed, and chopped
- 3 large tomatoes, diced (or use 1 - 14 Oz. tin of diced tomatoes)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon crumbled saffron threads
- 4 cups (1 litre) seafood stock (*see FAQs for alternatives)
- 1 cup (240ml) dry vermouth (or dry white wine)
- 2 fresh orange peel pieces (cut about 1 inch wide, and 3 inch long each)
- 1 pound (455g) cod, cut in 2-inch (5 cm) pieces (or use halibut, flounder, or sea bream, etc.)
- 1 pound (455g) shell on mussels, (scrubbed, and de-bearded)
- 8 Oz. (227g) sea scallops (*see FAQs for alternatives)
- 12 Oz. (340g) raw jumbo shrimp, deveined and shell on (or extra-large)
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley
- 1/4 teaspoon crush red pepper flakes (optional)
- fresh baguette slices (to serve)
- Prep:
- Wash fennel. Then, cut about 3 inches (around 8 cm) of the stalk from the fennel. Save this piece, we will use it in our stock. Core, the fennel bulb, and finely slice it. Set aside.
- Thinly slice the leek and soak it in a bowl of cold water, allowing the dirt to fall at the bottom. Use your finger to stir it a bit. Then, place the leeks on kitchen paper towels to drain. Set aside.
- You should already have the rest of the ingredients ready, but if you haven't done so dice tomatoes, mince garlic, and chop fresh herbs. Proceed to the next step.
- Making the stew:
- In a 6 or 7 Qt.-capacity Dutch oven, heat the olive oil and melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the fennel, leek, and onion, then sauté for 4 minutes, or until slightly softened. Stir with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula.
- Add 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt, then add the minced garlic. Cook 1 minute more, stirring until the garlic is fragrant.
- Stir in the tomato paste, chopped thyme, diced tomatoes, bay leaves, and paprika. Cook a further 2 minutes.
- Now, add the cut stalk of fennel, saffron, seafood stock, dry vermouth, and two orange peel pieces. Bring it to a boil; lower the heat to medium and simmer for 8 minutes.
- Add the cod fish. Cook for 2 minutes. Then, add in the mussels and scallops. Cover with a lid and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the mussels have opened and the scallops become firm and opaque. Add the shrimp for the last two minutes and cook until the shrimp has just cooked through. Now, all of the seafood should be cooked. Check for doneness.
- Adjust seasoning, adding salt and pepper to taste.
- Switch off the heat, and remove the Dutch oven from the heat. Discard the bay leaves, and the cut stalk of fennel.
- Stir in the chopped basil and parsley. Garnish with fennel fronds.
- Taste and add crushed red pepper flakes, if desired.
- Ladle a generous amount of bouillabaisse into wide bowls. Serve with fresh French baguette slices.
Although this is a simple recipe to make there are a lot of ingredients. Take your time and lay all your ingredients out (mise en place), making sure before you start, your fennel, leek, onion, tomatoes, and garlic are sliced, diced, and minced. Don’t rush, it will come together with a little time.
The main thing is to use fresh seafood and herbs, and try not to skip the saffron, because there really is no flavour like it! If you don't have saffron, wait until you do!
