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Bouillabaise is the Greatest Fish Soup Recipe of All Time!A bold statement perhaps, but when a rustic fish soup recipe that started as a "fisherman's stew" rises to become a classic served world wide as haute cuisine, you have to take your hat off to it. Ingredients
For the soup broth:
Bones and shells from the fish and shell fish, completely rinsed 9 cups water 1 teaspoon fennel seeds Salt and pepper to taste 10 whole sprigs parsley For the soup base: 2 large onions, chopped finely For the "body" of the soup: 3 to 4 pounds of various fish or shellfish. Preparation1. In a large soup pot, combine all the ingredients for the broth. Bring to a very light boil, and allow to simmer for 30 minutes or so.2. Run the broth through a strainer, and keep it aside. 3. Heat the oil in the soup pot on medium low to medium heat. Add onions, garlic, parsley, fennel seed (1 teaspoon, not both), and salt. Saute until the onions are soft. 4. Add tomatoes, thyme, orange peel, bay leaves, pepper, saffron and jalapeno. Simmer for up to 30 minutes. 5. Return the fish broth to the soup pot. Add the pound of chopped cod and cook until fish is completely cooked. 6. Remove the orange peel (if it is in large strips) and bay leaves and put them aside. We do not want to puree them. 7. Either use a hand-held blender to puree the soup, or puree in a stand-up blender in batches. Add the bay leaves and orange peels back to the soup, and pour in the white wine and cook for 30 minutes to an hour. Add Pernod. 8. Add the various fish to the soup. Add the longest-cooking fish first so all the fish ends up cooked at the same time. NotesBouillabaisse is traditionally served with slices of French bread (I presume the French simply call it "bread") and rouille, which is a spicy garlic mayonnaise. You can find recipes for two variations at a wonderful site about Provence.Some of the ingredients in this fish soup recipe are expensive. Saffron is the priciest spice by weight that there is, and Pernod is not cheap either. For this reason it might be a good idea to do a "pot luck" version where every guest brings one ingredient, either a pound or two of fish, some saffron, wine, or Pernod. The remaining ingredients are inexpensive enough, and you may even have them all on hand. Tips and TechniquesPatience is required when making bouillabaisse, or any fish soup recipe where the stock is not pre-made. The best results are achieved if you do not hurry the soup. This is for two reasons.First, when stock is made from bones, shells, and other parts, the collagen must be dissolved in simmering water in order to release it into the water. If the water is boiling, the collagen will heat up too quickly and coagulate (harden), and will not have a chance to dissolve and seep into the water. This will drastically reduce the flavor of the broth. Second, Fish cooks relatively quickly at high temperatures. If you turn the temperature up too high you will cook the fish before the flavors of the broth penetrate the fish, or else you will overcook the fish. Lower temperature and longer cooking time is the way to go with this fish soup recipe, as well as many other seafood soup recipes. Return from Bouillabaisse Fish Soup Recipe to Clear Soups
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