Bouillabaisse
This special soup is great for a weekend dinner or when you have been lucky with your fishing line. It tastes better if you use 2-3 different kinds of fish. In France the fish is usually served first on a plate and followed by the broth, which is topped with hot rouille croutons.
Kieran Scott
- Prep time:
- 20 mins
- Cook time:
- 45 mins
- Serves:
- 8 large serves
- ½ cup olive oil
- 2 medium onions, finely chopped
- 1 leek, finely chopped
- 1 stalk celery, chopped
- 2-3 bay leaves
- 4 large garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1-2 tsp chilli paste, to taste
- 2 cups dry white wine
- big pinch saffron threads
- 1 tsp honey
- 2 x 400g cans tomatoes in juice, chopped or 1kg fresh tomatoes, peeled and chopped
- 12 cups fish stock
- salt and ground black pepper
- 500-700g fresh mussels, scrubbed
- 1kg various firm fish, boneless fillets, cut into 4cm pieces
- 8-16 large raw prawns (optional)
- Rouille and Croûtons, to serve
Heat oil in a large pot and gently cook onions for 10-15 minutes until clear. Add leek and celery and cook a further 10 minutes. Add bay leaves, garlic, tomato paste and chilli paste. Sizzle a few seconds. Mix in wine, saffron, honey and tomatoes. Cook for 20 minutes over low heat.
Add fish stock and season to taste. Bring back to a simmer and add mussels (or steam separately then add them to the soup with their juices). Discard any mussels that don’t open. Add fish fillets and optional prawns and simmer gently for 2-3 minutes until just cooked.
Divide between hot soup bowls and top with a croûton spread with rouille. Pass around extra rouille and croûtons separately.
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