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AN AUTHENTIC FRENCH BOUILLABAISSE: THE QUINTESSENTIAL FISHERMAN’S STEW

Monday, April 1, 2019 Edit
This recipe comes from Marseilles, where the bragging rights for the best bouillabaisse are tightly contested. This hearty fisherman’s stew is fragrant and sumptuous, with the rich, garlicky overtones of its Mediterranean roots – an ideal combination of root vegetables, fish, and shellfish including oysters, mussels, and shrimp, as well as lobster.

AN AUTHENTIC FRENCH BOUILLABAISSE: THE QUINTESSENTIAL FISHERMAN’S STEW

Ingredients
The Base

  • 1 baguette French bread sliced into ½” pieces
  • 3 large tomatoes peeled, seeds squeezed out and coarsely chopped
  • 1/2 cup sweet onion chopped
  • 2 leeks whites only, finely julienned
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 pound potatoes cut into bite sized chunks
  • 4 medium carrots sliced diagonally into 1/2” pieces
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tablespoon fennel finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest
  • 1/2 teaspoon saffron threads crumbled
  • 3 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons sea salt

The Rouille
  • 3 tablespoons water
  • 3/4 cup coarse fresh bread crumbs from a baguette crust removed
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
  • Pre-heat oven to 250 degrees F. Prepare the baguette croutons by removing the crusts, brush lightly with olive oil and arrange on a baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes then rub on one side with fresh garlic. Set aside until the stew is ready.
  • In a large Dutch oven, cook the tomatoes, onion, leeks and garlic in oil over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft and transparent, about 5 to 7 minutes.
  • Peel the potatoes and cut into bite sized cubes. Stir the potatoes and carrots into the tomato mix and add the tomato paste, fennel, bay leaf, saffron, parsley, sea salt, and pepper.
  • Add the hot fish stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until the potatoes are almost tender, about 8 to 10 minutes.
  • Add any thicker pieces of fish, scallops and clams and simmer covered for 2 minutes. Stir in the mussels, shrimp, lobster, and remaining fish then simmer, covered another 5 minutes and the mussels have opened wide.