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Regional recipes: Bouillabaisse
2010-06-24 12:52
Bouillabaisse (literally, boil-then-simmer) is a traditional fish soup originating in Marseilles. Its crucial ingredient is the extremely ugly 'red rascasse' or scorpion-fish, to which are added further white fish: monkfish, John Dory, gurnard, and a variety of shellfish: mussels, urchins, lobster and so on.
First you need a good stock: sautéed onion, celery, garlic, and orange peel - to which add water, white wine, and the bones and heads of the filletted fish. Simmer for 30 minutes then remove the bits of fish. Traditionally fennel is added to give an aniseed flavour, but some people use Pernod instead. The true bouillabaisse does not use tomatoes, but if you wish these can be peeled and added at this stage.
Add the fish in order - mussels first (removing any which fail to open), then the rascasse, gurnard, monkfish and so on, then any more delicate fish. After the addition of each fish, boil then simmer. Cooking time is about 15-20 minutes.
The bouillabaisse is served with rouille, a mayonnaise-like sauce made from puréed red chilli, breadcrumbs, garlic, saffron, and egg-yolk. Add olive oil till it emulsifies, then drizzle over the fish or serve on crusty white bread. In Marseilles, the fish is then strained and served separately, the bread toasted and served with rouille as croutons in the broth; outside Marseilles, the fish is served in the broth.
Our Man in Marseilles