Bouillabaisse is the dish that made saffron famous on the French coast — without it, this is fish soup; with it, the broth turns burnished gold and tastes unmistakably of Provence. Fennel, leek, orange peel, and a splash of pernod build the base, while a saffron rouille smeared on toast crowns each bowl. It is a centerpiece dinner, and it earns the table it gathers.
At a glance
Ingredients (stew)
- 25 threads Raihan Afghan Super Negin saffron, bloomed in 1/4 cup warm fish stock
- 2 lb mixed firm white fish (snapper, monkfish, cod), cubed
- 1 lb shellfish (shrimp, mussels)
- 1 fennel bulb, sliced
- 1 leek, sliced
- 1 onion, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 ripe tomatoes (or 1 can crushed)
- 4 cups fish stock
- 1 strip orange peel
- 1 sprig thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/4 cup pernod (optional)
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- Salt and pepper
Ingredients (rouille)
- 1 small red bell pepper, roasted and peeled
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 egg yolk
- 3/4 cup olive oil
- 5 threads saffron, bloomed
- Pinch of cayenne
- Salt
- Baguette slices, toasted
Instructions
- Stew: Sauté fennel, leek, onion in olive oil 8 min. Add garlic. Stir.
- Add tomatoes, fish stock, orange peel, thyme, bay, pernod. Simmer 25 min.
- Stir in saffron bloom. Season with salt and pepper.
- Add firm fish. Cook 5 min. Add shellfish. Cook 4 min until shells open.
- Rouille: Whisk roasted pepper, garlic, yolk, cayenne in a bowl. Stream in olive oil while whisking until thick. Stir in saffron bloom. Salt.
- Serve bouillabaisse in deep bowls. Toast bread, smear with rouille, float on top.
Chef's note
Bloom the stew and rouille portions separately — 25 threads in warm stock, 5 in a spoonful of warm water — and start both before you slice the fennel. Real threads color slowly, and the rouille especially rewards patience: fold in the bloom at the end so the emulsion turns a uniform apricot rather than speckled. Add the stew's bloom after the long simmer, as the recipe directs, to keep the aroma from cooking off.
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