Bouillabaisse
Provencal fish stew — saffron-fennel-tomato broth, mixed fish, served with garlicky rouille on toast.
Ingredients
- 1000 g Firm white fish
- 500 g Mussels
- 400 g Shrimp
- 1000 ml Fish stock
- 1 Onion
- 1 Leek
- 1 Fennel bulb
- 6 cloves Garlic
- 1 tin San Marzano tomatoes (DOP)
- 2 tbsp Tomato paste
- 200 ml White wine
- ¼ g Saffron
- 1 tsp Fennel seeds
- 80 ml Extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 sprigs Thyme
- 1 Bay leaves
- 1 baguette Baguette
- 1 Egg
- 1 tsp Cayenne pepper
- 2 tsp Salt
- 1 Orange (optional)
- 400 g Potatoes (optional)
- 3 tbsp Parsley (optional)
Method
- Before you turn on any heat, get everything ready: cut the fish into chunks. Scrub the mussels and pull off their beards. Peel the shrimp, keeping the shells to boost the stock. Slice the leek, onion, and fennel. Smash most of the garlic, reserving a couple of cloves for the rouille. Zest the orange.
- Bloom the saffron in a little warm fish stock and leave it to steep while you carry on.
- Peel the potatoes and slice them into even rounds.
- Heat a good glug of olive oil in a large pot over medium. Sweat the onion, leek, and fennel until very soft and translucent but not coloured.
- Stir in the smashed garlic, tomato paste, fennel seeds, orange zest, thyme, and bay leaves. Cook over medium, stirring, until fragrant and the paste darkens slightly.
- Pour in the wine and let it reduce until the harsh alcohol smell is gone. Crush in the tomatoes, then add the remaining fish stock, the saffron-bloomed stock, and the salt. Bring to a gentle simmer.
- Drop the potato slices into the broth. Simmer until fork-tender.
- While the potatoes simmer, make the rouille (a garlicky chilli mayonnaise): ladle a little hot broth into the blender with the reserved garlic, the egg yolk, the cayenne, and a pinch of salt. With the blender running, drizzle the remaining olive oil in slowly until thick and orange.
- While the soup cooks, slice the baguette on the diagonal and toast in the oven at 200C (400F) until dry and lightly crisp.
- Lay the fish chunks on top of the broth firmest-first, then the shrimp, then the mussels. Cover and steam until the mussels open and the fish is just cooked through.
- Spread rouille on the toasts. Ladle broth, fish, and potatoes into wide bowls. Scatter parsley over and float the toasts on top.
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About Bouillabaisse
Bouillabaisse is the great fish stew of Provence, born in the port of Marseille as a way for fishermen to use the day's less marketable catch. This version stays true to its coastal roots with a broth built on onion, leek, and fennel, then perfumed with saffron, fennel seed, and a twist of orange zest — the aromatics that give bouillabaisse its distinctive Mediterranean fragrance. A medley of firm white fish, mussels, and shrimp goes into a tomato-and-white-wine base, and the shrimp shells are saved to deepen the stock, a small step that adds real seafood intensity.
The eating ritual matters as much as the stew itself. Bouillabaisse is traditionally served with toasted baguette and rouille, a garlicky, saffron-tinged sauce spread on the bread and floated in the broth. The result is fragrant and briny, the saffron lending both golden color and a subtle honeyed bitterness, the fennel and orange keeping it bright rather than heavy. Prepping everything before the heat goes on — the classic mise en place the method insists on — is essential here, because delicate fish and shellfish cook fast and can't wait. It's a generous, sunlit centerpiece for a leisurely meal with wine.
Bouillabaisse: frequently asked questions
How many calories are in Bouillabaisse?
A serving has about 678 calories — 64.2g protein, 50g carbs, 22.2g fat, 6.2g fiber. Figures are estimated from the ingredient amounts and will shift with your portions and brands.
Is it high in protein?
Each serving has about 64.2g of protein, roughly 38% of its calories.
Is Bouillabaisse gluten-free?
As written, no — it contains Baguette. You'd need a certified gluten-free swap for that ingredient to make it gluten-free.
Do I need every ingredient to make Bouillabaisse?
The core ingredients are essential, but you can leave out orange, potatoes, parsley — they're optional and mainly there for extra flavor or finish.
How many servings does Bouillabaisse make?
This recipe makes 6 servings. In the app you can scale it up or down and the ingredient amounts adjust automatically.