Easy Bouillabaisse

The distinctive flavors of tomatoes, saffron, fennel, and orange, simmered with delightfully sweet-and-salty seafood and shellfish. An iconic dish, and the ultimate one-pot meal.

Bouillabaisse is the most famous and complex fish stew of the Mediterranean, with roots considered to be Marseilles (although you can find it in every port town in coastal Provence). And when I say complex, I mean in flavor, not preparation. Legend has it, Venus served bouillabaisse to her husband Vulcan in order to lull him to sleep while she consorted with Mars. Not sure about that myth, but I can guarantee THIS Bouillabaisse won’t lull anyone to sleep. In fact, it awakens every taste bud you have.

There are as many recipes for Bouillabaisse as there are Provençal towns, but the Marseilles version is generally considered the most authentic. Besides fish and shellfish, you’ll find onions, tomatoes, garlic, parsley, saffron, fennel, thyme, bay leaf, and orange peel. The best part about this dish is that all the ingredients are quickly boiled together, making it a classic one pot meal. Just before serving, Bouillabaisse is often topped with rouille a condiment that heightens the flavors in the soup. There are many variations of rouille, but it’s typically a creamy mixture of garlic, red bell pepper, bread crumbs, and fish stock. For this recipe, I made rouille optional, but I also provided an easy mayonnaise-based recipe in case you want the real Bouillabaisse experience.

Easy Bouillabaisse

2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for brushing the bread
1 baguette, sliced on a diagonal into 1/2-inch thick slices
1/2 cup chopped white onion
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 small bulb fennel, chopped (reserve the fronds for garnish)
4 small red potatoes, cut into 2-inch pieces
28-ounce can diced tomatoes
8 ounces clam juice
1/2 teaspoon saffron
1/2 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
1 pound cubed firm, boneless fish fillets, such as monkfish, striped bass, halibut, cod, and/or squid
8 littleneck clams
8 mussels
4 bay scallops, or 2 sea scallops, halved
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
For serving:
Fennel fronds, optional
Rouille, optional:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons minced roasted red bell peppers
2 cloves garlic, minced
Pinch of saffron
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. OR, for an untraditional version, mix the ingredients by hand.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Brush both sides of the bread slices with olive oil and transfer the slices to a baking sheet. Bake for 5 minutes, turning once, until golden and crisp. Set aside.
Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large stock pot, Dutch oven, or deep skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, celery, carrots, and fennel, and cook until soft, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the potatoes, tomatoes, clam juice, saffron, and orange zest and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to low. Begin adding the seafood in order of how long it takes to cook. Monkfish, striped bass and squid take longer to cook than other varieties; they need 5 extra minutes. Add the clams, mussels and other fish varieties (such as halibut and cod) and simmer until the clam and mussel shells open. Add the scallops and cook for 30 seconds. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Ladle the soup into shallow bowls and garnish with the toasted bread and fennel fronds, if desired. Serve with rouille, if using.

Serves 4