Bouillabaisse is the iconic fish stew of Marseilles, France’s legendary port city and home to fishermen for centuries.
The origins of the stew are humble, thought to have first been made by fishermen with the unsold leftovers from the day’s catch, seasoned with wild herbs, cooked in kettles of sea water over wood fires.
Over time, the stew evolved to an unctuous base made of rockfish, herbs, potatoes and tomatoes combined with fish stock, ground with a food mill and strained. To my thinking, this is the best part of the dish. It is complex and deeply flavored without being overwhelming. In the traditional way, this base, essentially soupe de poisson, is served as a first course with grilled bread and rouille, a spicy garlic-and-red pepper version of aioli.
The fish and shellfish are poached in the remaining base, then served as a second course, with more soup ladled over, additional toasts and rouille, and a bowl of boiled potatoes alongside.
And that is exactly how I was taught to make and to serve bouillabaisse by a fourth-generation Marseillaise. He invited me to his house, along with my young family, where he proceeded to take me, step by step, through the process, starting with making fish stock with the heads and carcasses of the fish that he had purchased at the early morning fish market.
Next, we laid out the fish on branches of wild fennel, doused them with olive oil and a sprinkle of saffron. The soupe de poisson and rouille were duly prepared, and one by one, the fish and the eel were added, and finally, the shellfish. The potatoes, he told me, were really an addition from the Toulon version, but he thought they were a good idea, he said, as he set down a bottle of white wine from neighboring Cassis.
Over the years, bouillabaisse has taken shape in many different forms. Today, it is frequently served as a single course, with the soupe de poisson being replaced by an enriched tomato broth. Sometimes lobster and crab might be added, the eel almost always absent. Even in Marseille, it is rare to find the stew made with the so-called essential fish, small crabs and mornay eel.
That is why, on a recent visit to Marseille, the terminus of the newly designated Valley of Gastronomy that runs from Burgundy to the Mediterranean, I was thrilled to find Chez Madie les Galinettes. Here, the bouillabaisse is made and served in the same traditional way I was taught by my Marseillaise friend. The restaurant, situated on the long side of the Vieux Port, is unpretentious, like its bouillabaisse, and I was even able to order a bottle of Cassis Blanc.
Below is my recipe for Bouillabaisse the Marseilles way, just as I was taught to make it, except I use West Coast fish and shellfish. Regardless of what purists might say, I think using what is at hand is something the Marseilles fishermen of yore would have approved.
As for the fennel, it grows wild throughout Northern California. Right now, it is flowering and its yellow flowerheads are easy to spot, along with the fern-like foliage. However, cultivated fennel will work just as well.
Bouillabaisse the Marseilles Way – West Coast Style
From start to finish, this recipe is authentic. It is a labor of love, starting with charming a fishmonger into giving/selling you fish frames and heads, to seeking the best fish and shellfish you can find and, if you can find it, foraged wild fennel. It isn’t difficult, but each step is important.
To keep the pace easy, I make the fumet a day or two in advance. Sometimes I make the soupe de poisson, the base of the bouillabaisse, the day before the grand finale, as well as the rouille, leaving only the marinating and final cooking of the fish and shellfish, potatoes and toasts for the day of serving.
Yield: Serves 8
INGREDIENTS
For the fish stock (fumet):
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large yellow onion, quartered through the stem end
3 cloves garlic, crushed or sliced
2 carrots, peeled, and each cut into 3 or 4 pieces
1 leek, separated into white and green parts, and each part cut into 2 or 3 pieces
3 pounds fish heads and frames from non-oily fish such as sea bass, halibut, snapper, cod, ling cod or sole (no gills)
6 fresh flat-leaf parsley sprigs
4 fresh thyme sprigs
8 black peppercorns
3 cups dry white wine
8 cups water
For the rouille:
2 dried cayenne or other hot chiles, seeded
6 to 8 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
Large pinch of coarse sea salt
2 large pinches of fresh breadcrumbs
1/2 teaspoon saffron threads soaked in 1 tablespoon boiling water
2 egg yolks, at room temperature
1/2 to 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 baguette, cut on the diagonal into pieces about ¼-inch thick
For the soupe de poisson:
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 pounds mixed whole small rockfish, cleaned, but heads and tail intact, gills removed (non-oily varieties)
3 cloves garlic
2 onions, quartered
6 medium russet potatoes, sliced ½-inch thick
2 bay leaves
8 sprigs fresh thyme
8 large, very ripe tomatoes, chopped
8 cups fish stock
2 cups water
6 8-inch pieces of wild fennel stalk or substitute cultivated
1 teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup grated gruyere cheese (for serving)
For the fish and its marinade:
4-6 wild fennel stalks with fronds or use stalks and fronds from 2 bulbs of fennel
1 pound halibut fillets or monkfish, about ¾ inch thick, cut into 1-inch chunks
½ pound each of 4 different fish fillets such as sole, sea bass, red snapper, true cod, black cod or rockfish (non-oily)
pinch of saffron
2 tablespoons pastis or Pernod (optional)
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
½ teaspoon sea salt
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
For the potatoes:
3 pounds medium boiling potatoes such as red or white rose, peeled
2 teaspoons sea salt
The grande finale:
10-12 cups soupe de poisson
Boiling water (or fish stock)
1 1/2 pounds prawns, heads and tails intact
2 pounds mussels
DIRECTIONS
To make the fish stock:
In a Dutch oven or large stockpot over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil. When it is hot, add the onion, garlic, carrots and the white part of the leek and sauté, stirring, until softened, 2 to 3 minutes.
Add the fish heads and frames and cook, stirring, until they begin to turn opaque, about 3 minutes.
Add the leek greens, parsley, thyme, peppercorns, wine and water and bring to a boil, skimming off any foam that rises to the surface with a slotted spoon. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for about 30 minutes.
Remove from the heat. Using a slotted spoon or wire skimmer, remove and discard the large solids, then strain the stock through a chinoise or a colander lined with cheesecloth.
The fumet can be used immediately, or let it cool, cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day or freeze for up to 3 months.
To make the rouille:
In a mortar with a pestle, grind the chiles to a powder. Add the garlic and salt and crush and pound until a paste forms. The sharp edges of the coarse sea salt will act like little knives.
Add the breadcrumbs, the saffron and its soaking water and incorporate into the paste. Scrape the paste into a bowl. Add the egg yolks and whisk until the mixture has thickened.
Whisking constantly, slowly add the olive oil, a drop at a time, whisking until the mixture emulsifies and forms a mayonnaise-like consistency. Add only as much of the oil as needed to achieve a good consistency.
Cover and refrigerate the rouille until serving, up to two days in advance. The toasts (see below) can be made the day of serving.
To make the soupe de poisson:
In a large soup pot over medium heat, warm 4 tablespoons of the olive oil. Add the fish, garlic and the onions. Cook, stirring, until the fish begin to change color and fall apart, about 5 minutes.
Add the potatoes, bay leaves and thyme and continue cooking, stirring to prevent burning, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes.
Add 4 cups of the fish stock and scrape up any bits on the bottom of the pan. Add 4 more cups of the fish stock (reserve the remainder), the water, fennel, salt and pepper. Cover and cook over low heat until the potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes.
Position a food mill over a bowl. Pour the contents of the soup pot into the mill and puree. Discard the debris in the mill. Rinse the mill thoroughly and purée the soup a second time.
Transfer to a saucepan and taste, adjusting seasoning with more salt or pepper if needed. The consistency should be like that of a good tomato soup, not too thick, not too thin. If it is too thin, heat over medium high to reduce to the desired thickness. If too thick, add a little more fish stock. Set aside. You should have 10 to 12 cups.
For the fish and its marinade:
Lay the fennel fronds and the fennel slices on a platter. Place the fish on them in a single layer. Sprinkle them with the saffron, pastis or Pernod if using, fennel seeds and salt, and then drizzle over the olive oil. Turn several times to coat.
Let stand at room temperature, lightly covered for 2 hours and up to 3 hours.
For the toasts:
Preheat an oven to 350 degrees.
Place the baguette slices on a baking sheet and brush them with olive oil. Bake until dry, but not browned, turning once, 15 to 20 minutes. Set aside.
For the potatoes:
Place the potatoes in a large stock pot and cover with cold water.
Over medium high heat, bring to a boil. Add the salt, reduce the heat to medium, cover and cook until the potatoes are easily pierced with a fork, about 30 minutes.
Drain, return to the pot and cover to keep warm.
For the grande finale:
In a large, wide pot, bring the soup de poisson to just below a boil.
Lay in the halibut and any other thick pieces of fish. Add boiling water to cover if needed. Cook 6 minutes. Add the thinner fish fillets, pushing them gently into the soup, adding a little more water or stock if needed, and cook just until opaque, about 4 minutes.
Remove the cooked fish gently to a platter and cover to keep warm. Add the prawns and mussels. Cook the prawns only until opaque, about 2 minutes.
Remove the prawns and add them to the platter of fish. Continue cooking the mussels just until they open, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove to the platter with the fish.
Bathe the platter of seafood with a ladle of soup. Cover lightly with aluminum foil to keep warm.
To serve:
Ladle about ½ cup of the soup broth into each of 8 warmed soup bowls.
Add to each a piece of toast topped with a dollop of the rouille and a handful of the grated gruyere.
Serve immediately with the remaining toasts and rouille.
When the first course has been finished, arrange the fish and shellfish on a serving platter and bring to the table, serving some of each kind to each person.
Ladle more soup into each bowl and pass the rouille and toasts and the bowl of boiled potatoes.
If you’d rather go out
If making your own bouillabaisse from scratch seems overwhelming, here are some local restaurants, each with its own version, where you can find it:
Left Bank Bistro Brasserie, 377 Santana Row, San Jose; leftbank.com
La Fontaine, 186 Castro St., Mountain View, and 1375 N. Broadway, Walnut Creek; lafontainerestaurant.com
Épernay Bistro, 29 E. Main St., Walnut Creek; epernaylg.com