French · Main · Hard
Bouillabaisse
A golden saffron seafood stew from Marseille loaded with firm white fish, mussels, shrimp, and fennel in a rich aromatic broth. Traditionally served with crusty bread and garlicky rouille.
The whole recipe in 60 seconds
Bouillabaisse, in 5 ideas
- Blooming the saffron in warm wine first extracts far more color and flavor than adding it dry.
- Add the seafood in order of cooking time, fish first, then shrimp and mussels, so nothing overcooks.
- Good stock matters most here, use a real fish stock if you can find it.
- Serve the rouille on the side and let everyone spread it on their bread.
- Toss any mussels that stay closed after cooking, they were already dead.
What you need
Ingredients
- 2 lbs firm white fish fillets (halibut, cod, or snapper), cut into chunks
- 1 lb mussels, scrubbed and debearded
- 1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 large pinch saffron threads
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 6 cups fish or chicken stock
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1 baguette, sliced and toasted
How to make it
Directions
- Warm the saffron in the white wine for 10 minutes to bloom, then heat the olive oil in a large pot and soften the onion and fennel for 8 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic, tomato paste, and saffron wine. Cook 2 minutes until fragrant.
- Add the stock and bring to a gentle boil, then simmer 25 minutes to develop the broth. Season with salt and pepper.
- Add the fish chunks first, cook 5 minutes, then add the shrimp and mussels.
- Cover and simmer 6 to 8 minutes until the mussels open and the fish is opaque. Discard any unopened mussels.
- Ladle the broth into bowls, arrange the seafood on top, and serve with toasted baguette and rouille for spreading.
Mix inexpensive fish like cod with one fancier piece like halibut to keep costs down while the broth carries the luxury.