Bouillabaisse, the traditional fish soup

One way to serve it…

Generally speaking, this preparation is served in two different dishes: the fish on one side, the broth on the stove.
Depending on the taste of the guest, the two can be mixed together in a soup plate or served separately. But one rule remains fundamental: the fish must be cut up in front of the guests. The mayonnaise based sauce or sauces (rouille or aïoli) are also served, possibly accompanied by croutons rubbed with garlic.

Here are some ideas of white wines to accompany it:
– Bandol
– Bellet
– Cassis
– Côteaux d’Aix-en-Provence
– Côteaux Varois de Provence
– Côte de Provence.

Fish and ingredients

Marseille’s bouillabaisse must include at least 4 of the following species:

– scorpion fish
– monkfish
– white scorpion fish
– fielas (conger eel)
– spider crab
– capon (red scorpion fish)
– galinette (red mullet)* optional
– St. Pierre (John Dory)
– slipper lobster
– lobster

This list allows you to choose according to the arrivals and the number of guests. But there remains one essential fact for the quality of the bouillabaisse: it is the extreme freshness of the fish, an essential condition for success.
Salt, pepper, saffron, olive oil, garlic, onions, fennel, parsley, potatoes, tomatoes. For the bottom: small rock fish (girelle, saupe, small mullets, castagnol…)

How about a little cooking?

Here is a recipe that we suggest:

• 4 kg of fish (depending on availability)
• 1.5 kg of scorpion fish
• 1 kg of Saint-Pierre
• 6 slices of fielas
• 3 red mullet
• 4 weaverfish
• 6 slices of monkfish
• 1 kg of fish soup.

Brown the onion, garlic and tomatoes over a high heat in olive oil. Add the soup fish, cleaned and cut up, and stir to obtain a paste-like consistency (about 15 minutes). Add boiling water and leave to boil for at least 1 hour.

Add fennel and parsley, salt and pepper. Pass through a food mill, then through a sieve, without forgetting to press the bottom so that the juice runs out.

Add the raw potatoes cut into large slices (2 slices per person), then the fish according to their size and the firmness of their flesh (scorpion fish, Saint-Pierre, fielas, anglerfish).

Boil for 20 minutes. 5 minutes before serving, add the galinettes and the spiders.

Once cooked, remove the fish and potatoes, add salt and pepper, saffron and arrange on serving dishes.

The usual recipe is based on aïoli to which saffron and hot pepper are added.

Another recipe can be made with potatoes and chilli.

Some restaurants have signed the ‘Bouillabaisse charter’ created in 1980 by certain restaurateurs to define the basic ingredients and presentation of this dish in order to ensure its quality. Indeed, this charter was invented because some unscrupulous restaurateurs were using the name ‘bouillabaisse’ to serve any fish soup. Nevertheless, there are some restaurateurs who serve it in the rules of the art, but they did not wish to subscribe to this charter.