Bouillabaisse
Mediterranean Fish Soup
Bouillabaisse is the most famous French fish soup and is associated with the South of the country, particularly Marseille. As a fisherman’s meal it is often made with whole fish, especially rascasse (scorpion fish). Using fillets is much simpler.
serves 6
ROUILLE
1 small red capsicum (pepper)
1 slice white bread, crusts removed
1 red chilli
2 garlic cloves
1 egg yolk
80 ml (3 fl oz/1/3 cup) olive oil
SOUP
18 mussels
1.5 kg (3 lb 6 oz) firm white fish fillets such as red mullet, bass, snapper, monkfish, rascasse, John Dory or eel, skin on
2 tablespoons oil
1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced
1 onion, chopped
750 g (1 lb 11 oz) ripe tomatoes
1.25 litres (44 fl oz/5 cups) fish stock or water
pinch of saffron threads
bouquet garni
5 cm (2 in) piece of orange zest
To make the rouille, preheat the grill (broiler). Cut the capsicum in half, remove the seeds and membrane and place, skin-side up, under the hot grill until the skin blackens and blisters. Leave to cool before peeling. Roughly chop the capsicum. Soak the bread in 3 tablespoons water, then squeeze dry. Put the capsicum, chilli, bread, garlic and egg yolk in a mortar and pestle or food processor and pound or mix together. Gradually add the oil in a thin stream, pounding or mixing until the rouille is smooth with the texture of thick mayonnaise. Cover and refrigerate the rouille until needed.
To make the soup, scrub the mussels and remove their beards. Discard any mussels that are already open and don’t close when tapped on the work surface. Cut the fish into bite-sized pieces.
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and cook the fennel and onion for 5 minutes, or until golden.
Score a cross in the top of each tomato. Plunge them into boiling water for 20 seconds, then drain and peel the skin away from the cross. Chop the tomatoes, discarding the cores.
Add the tomato to the pan and cook for 3 minutes. Stir in the stock, saffron, bouquet garni and orange zest, then bring to the boil and boil for 10 minutes. Discard the bouquet garni and either push the soup through a sieve or purée in a blender. Return to the clean pan, season well and bring back to the boil.
Reduce the heat to a simmer and add the fish and mussels. Cook for 5 minutes, or until the fish is tender. Throw out any mussels that haven’t opened in this time. Serve the soup with rouille and bread.
