Really Good Fish Stew From France (Bouillabaisse)

What else can I say? It’s really good and it’s from France.

Butt 4 Reel, almost every coastal culture has a fish stew and France, specifically off the coast of the Mediterranean in the South, is no exception. What started as a poor fisherman’s way to use up leftover fish scraps, over the years, has evolved (or devolved depending on your outlook) to a point where you’re going to pay $50 or more for a bowl at an upscale restaurant. 

Marseille, a city in the south of France where this dish was invented was founded by ancient Greeks around 600 BC. These Greeks ate a similar stew called “Kakavia,” so in a sense this stew is Greek and French which I like to call “Grench.” I also just made that up. Heh.

No matter who invented it, which stew came first, or where it’s from this bowl of fish stew is a lot more exciting then it sounds. I won’t front, this recipe is a bit of a grind because it takes time and technique, but if you make an afternoon out of it your friends won’t know what hit them. Make it. Trust me. Cook on!🤘🏼Adam

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Bouillabaisse (French Fish Stew)

IngredientsUSMetric

Bouillabaisse

• 1/2 cup Olive Oil
• 2 Fennel Bulbs, roughly chopped
• 2 Red Peppers, roughly chopped
• 1/2 Onion, roughly chopped
• 3 Garlic cloves, minced
• 2 pounds Fish Bones
• 2 pounds Ripe Tomatoes
• 1 cup Dry White Wine
• 3 Tbsp Tomato Paste
• 1 tsp Saffron
• 1/3 cup Tarragon
• 2 Lemons, juiced
• 4 Tbsp Unsalted Butter, divided and cold
• 8-12 Mussels
• 1/2 pound Scallops
• 1/2 pound Snapper or Monkfish, cut into 1 inch chunks
• 1/2 pound Shrimp, cut into 1 inch chunks
• Kosher Salt, to taste
• Black Pepper, to taste
• Tarragon, finely chopped for garnish
• Chives, finely chopped for garnish

Rouille (Saffron Mayonnaise)

• 1 egg yolks
• 4 Garlic cloves
• 1/2 cup Olive Oil
• 1/2 cup Neutral Oil
• 1/4 tsp Cayenne
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1/4 cup water, as needed
• 1 tsp Sugar
• 1 tbsp Paprika
• 2 Tbsp Red Pepper Paste (Sera brand) *optional
• 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
• 1 tsp Kosher Salt

Instructions

Bouillabaisse

1. Pour olive oil into a large pan over medium heat. Once hot, add the fennel, onion and red pepper, season with salt, then sweat for 4-5 minutes with little to no color. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute.
2. Add the fish bones, tomatoes and and white wine and cook until most of the wine evaporates. Cover with water by 1 inch and bring to a simmer skimming scum from the top as it arises. Add the tomato paste and saffron. Season to taste with more salt and a dash of black pepper and cook for 50 minutes, or until reduced by about a third.
3. Add the tarragon and cook another 10 minutes before blending the whole soup, bones and all, to a smooth consistency. Pour the soup through a strainer, pressing the solids through. Pour the strained soup through a second filtering using a fine mesh strainer, this time without pressing the mixture but tapping the sides of the strainer to help the soup filter through.
4. Add the soup back into a clean blender then add the lemon juice. With the blender running, slowly drop in the cold butter one tablespoon at a time until the soup slightly thickens and barely lightens in color. Adjust seasoning and store in the fridge until needed.
5. To serve, bring the broth to a simmer then add in the monkfish and cook for 5-6 minutes. Add in the snapper and scallops cooking for 2 minutes more, then finally add the mussels cooking until they open up, roughly 2-3 more minutes.
6. Serve in bowls with broth, as much seafood as desired and crusty bread. Spread the rouille on the bread, and/or mix a small amount into the soup and MUNCH FACE!

Rouille

1. Blitz the garlic in a food processor until minced then add the egg yolks and process until smooth. Slowly stream in the olive oil, then the neutral oil. Blend in the saffron, salt, pepper, cayenne and lemon juice. Adjust seasoning as needed. Store in the fridge until needed.

Adam's Notes

• Use any fish in this stew. So long as the cooking time of the fish(es) is taken into account and added to the stew at the appropriate time, almost any fish work here. Classically, they say to "stay away from salmon or fatty trout," but I say use what you have. So long as the broth is seasoned, it'll taste great.