Bouillabaisse, a classic fish stew from the south of France, is one of those peasant dishes, like cassoulet, that should be made with whatever you have lying around. But as with cassoulet, nobody ever seems to have the ingredients lying around, and so the dish ends up being quite expensive and time-consuming. But if you have the budget and the wherewith-all, I have cobbled together, from several sources, a very good recipe for making bouillabaisse.
The key is to vary the textures of the fish you use. In this case, I have chosen clams, lobster, scallops, monkfish and red snapper filets. You will want to add your fish to the stock in the order of most to least time needed to cook. In this case, clams first, meaty scallops and monkfish together and delicate snapper and lobster together. (Because the lobster is already cooked.)
It is also key to blend and strain your broth. You start with aromatics, add tomatoes, then add stock. I had lobster stock that we made last time we did lobster rolls, so I used that, and it was delicious. You can buy fish stock at the store, if that suits.
Two ingredients really give bouillabaisse its distinct flavor: saffron and Pastis (or Pernod will do, too). Don’t skip those or you won’t have a true Provencal flavor.
Purists will say the other component that is a must with this soup is rouille, a paste made of garlic, chilis and wet bread. It’s then spread on toasted baguette slices. But I’m off carbs, so I’m not doing that. If you’d like to, just google!
Bouillabaisse
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 leeks, thinly sliced (see how to clean a leek here)
- 1 bulb fennel, fronds removed and reserved, diced
- 1 onion, diced
- 5 cloves garlic, passed through a press
- 3 tomatoes, diced
- 2 bay leaves
- Generous pinch of saffron
- Scant 1/4 cup Pastis or Pernod
- 2 quarts lobster stock (or fish stock)
- 2 dozen clams
- 1 whole lobster, steamed (or buy lobster meat)
- 1 pound scallops
- 1 pound monkfish
- 1 pound red snapper fillets
Heat the olive oil in a stockpot over medium high heat until shimmering. Add leeks, fennel and onion. Saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, while stirring, cook 1 minute more. Add tomato, bay leaves, saffron and Pernod and stir. Let the vegetables cook, stirring occasionally, until for about 5 minutes. Add stock and bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer and cook until vegetables are quite soft, about 20 minutes.
Remove the bay leaves and carefully transfer the soup into a blender. (You may have to do this in batches.) Puree until smooth, then strain through a sieve back into the stockpot.
Bring the pureed soup back to a boil, then turn down to a simmer. Add clams and cook until they start to open, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add monkfish and scallops and cook for about 2 to 3 minutes. Then add lobster and snapper, and cook until clams are completely opened and the other fish are no longer translucent, about 3 minutes. Discard any clams that did not open.
Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with fennel fronds.
I did not garnish. Still just as delicious.
