How To Cook Bouillabaisse In Marseilles Or Anywhere Else
From elgourmand 15 years ago
- 5-00 minutes to make
- Serves 8
Are you ready? I’m not sure I am. For Bouillabaisse I have a recipe, almost. These days I have recipes for quite a few dishes as I did them to post here but previously I just had “notes” for many things and just my memory for many others. Read more I started this cooking thing long before computers you see. I’ve carried an “almost recipe” for Bouillabaisse around for 25+ years and a pretty good recipe it was too. A few years ago I ran across a Bouillabaisse recipe by Clifford A. Wright. Well, Moses had his burning bush and that was mine. My recipe didn’t get thrown out but it did get a major overhaul. Yes, I still use my memory and wonder from the charted course a bit and I expect you will as well. However, this is not jazz ladies and gentlemen. Bouillabaisse is expensive to prepare, a lot of work and not for the faint of heart. If you come close you’ll get a fantastic fish stew and if you do it just right you’ll get Bouillabaisse. In 1989 (I think) a friend in the US insisted on taking me to their favorite and very posh French restaurant for Bouillabaisse; it was $125.00 per serving, minimum 4 servings. That was good Bouillabaisse; thanks to Mr. Wright, this is better. Why bother? As the gods of food well know, No hay mejor en el mundo de comida! (There is no better in the world of food!) Nothing. Set aside the time, a bottle of dry white wine and invite a quiet, patient companion and begin. I suggest you locate the ingredients at your leisure, assemble them one day and cook the next. Bon Apatite. See less
Ingredients
- • 3.5 kg firm, white fleshed fish; Pick 3 or 4 from Snapper, Rockfish, Monkfish, cod, Grouper, halibut, haddock, Ocean Catfish, Blackfish, etc. shopping list
- • 2 kg “oily” fish; Pick 2 from Bluefish, Moray eel, Conger eel, mackerel, dogfish, striped bass, sea bass, Spanish mackerel, mahimahi (dolphinfish). shopping list
- • 2.5 – 3kg Whole Main lobster; large shrimp may be used for part of this. shopping list
- • 1 – 1.5kg mussels in their shell. shopping list
- • 2kg small clams, in their shell. shopping list
- • 5 Tbs butter shopping list
- • 2 med. yellow onions peeled & sliced shopping list
- • 8 – 10 cups water shopping list
- • 2 bouquet garni each with 4 sprigs fresh parsley, 6 sprigs fresh thyme, 10 black peppercorns, and 1 bay leaf, tied in cheesecloth shopping list
- • 1 cup dry white wine (decent stuff please) shopping list
- • 1 ½ cups olive oil (extra virgin is okay but regular has more flavor) shopping list
- • 6 – 8 large garlic cloves, finely chopped (to taste) shopping list
- • A pinch of saffron stepped in ¼ cup hot water until needed shopping list
- • ½ tsp saffron threads stepped in tepid dry white wine until needed shopping list
- • 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped. shopping list
- • 3 leeks, white and light green part only, halved lengthwise, and thinly sliced. shopping list
- • 3 stalks celery, finely chopped. shopping list
- • 2 pounds ripe plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped shopping list
- • 1 long thin strip of orange zest, no pith shopping list
- • 1 Tbs fennel seed shopping list
- • salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. shopping list
- • boiling water as needed shopping list
- • 2 Tbs tomato past shopping list
- • 2 Tbs anis flavored liquor, Pernod or ouzo shopping list
- • ½ cup fresh parsley leaves, finely chopped. shopping list
- • 1 Sauce rouille (see Sauce Rouille) shopping list
How to make it
- 1. Gut, scale and clean the fish. Save the heads, tails and carcasses. If the fish monger has them, get them back. Cut the fish into 2 X 4” pieces and set aside.
- 2. Prepare the fish broth. Rinse the fish heads, tails, and carcasses in cold water. Break the carcasses into pieces. In a large stockpot, melt the butter, then cook the sliced onions until soft but not brown, stirring occasionally. Add the fish heads and bones and cover with the cold water. Put in one of the bouquet garni and the wine. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover with lid tilted and simmer for 2 hours, skimming occasionally. Strain the fish broth through a conical strainer and set aside to cool. Discard all the fish bits. You should have 10 cups of fish broth when finished. Clean the stockpot for later use.
- 3. as soon as you get the fish broth going, marinate the fish in a large ceramic or glass bowl with 1/4 cup of the olive oil, half of the chopped garlic, and the saffron threads for 2 hours in the refrigerator.
- 4. Place the mussels and clams in very cold fresh water to soak and purge a bit. Beard the muscles.
- 5. Boil the Lobster, and if using shrimp as usual and set aside to cool. When cool remove lobster tails from shell, devein and cut into 2” X 2” pieces. Shell and devein the shrimp. If you don’t know how to do this you’re on the wrong page.
- 6. In the large stockpot, heat the remaining 1 1/4 cups olive oil over medium heat, then cook the chopped onions, leeks, and celery for 15 minutes, stirring often. Add the tomatoes, the remaining garlic, the remaining bouquet garni, the orange zest, and fennel seeds. Stir in the reserved fish broth and the saffron steeped in wine and season with a little salt and pepper Remember that the clams and mussels will add salt to the dish when they are added. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 40 minutes. The broth can be left over very low heat, covered, for hours. If you’re going to rest a while put the lobster and shrimp in the fridge.
- 7. When you are ready to prepare the final stages of the bouillabaisse, bring the broth back to a furious, rolling boil. Keep the broth boiling furiously so the oil emulsifies. Add the oily fish and boil, uncovered, over very high heat for 8 minutes. Shake the pot to prevent sticking. Now put the firm-fleshed white fish, lobster, muscles & clams in and boil hard for 6 minutes. Add more boiling water if necessary to cover the fish. Shake the casserole or pot occasionally. Mix the tomato paste and anise liqueur.
- 8. Carefully remove the fish, lobster, shrimp, calms and muscles from the broth with a slotted spoon and spatula or skimmer and transfer to a large bowl or deep platter.
- 9. Strain the broth through a fine mesh strainer into a soup tureen or large bowl, discarding what doesn't go through. Whisk in the tomato paste-and-anise mixture. Add the fish, lobster, clams and muscles to the broth and serve with the croûtes and sauce rouille on separate plates.
- By jove, I think you’ve got it. Bon for sure Apatite.
The Rating
Reviewed by 12 people-
Well done, everything you write is perfect for a bouillabaisse ~
chummers
in Lindstrom loved it
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Fantastic - I love recipes described from scratch. Just one thing. Tomato past? Is it after the use by date? (haha)...
jeef_boner
in Havelock North loved it
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wow, those sure are alot of ingredients. looks fantastic
andreac
in Cape Town loved it
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