How to Make Bouillabaisse: Classic French Bouillabaisse Recipe

Bouillabaisse is a classic Provençal dish of fish cooked in boiling water and plenty of olive oil until a velvety, emulsified broth forms. The cooked fish is served separately from the broth, which is strained over toasted bread. Unlike a long-simmering seafood stew, bouillabaisse is cooked by rapid boiling, which forces the olive oil into tiny droplets that are suspended in water to create a creamy texture further enhanced by the gelatin from the fish bones.

Bouillabaisse is traditionally made with whatever fish is available fresh from the Mediterranean—it’s one of those regional dishes, like paella, whose ingredients are endlessly debated.

Fish stews have been eaten in the Mediterranean for thousands of years, but bouillabaisse is particularly associated with the fishermen of Marseille in Provence, southern France. Thought to have originated as a way to use up the bony, difficult-to-fillet rockfish abundant in the Mediterranean Sea, the first recorded recipe to use the name bouillabaisse appeared in 1830 under the name “Bouillabaisse à la Marseillaise” in Le Cuisinier Durand. It called for sea bass and spiny lobster, pricey ingredients that probably wouldn’t be used in a casual fisherman’s stew, showing that bouillabaisse had already evolved beyond its humble origins as early as the mid-19th century. The name bouillabaisse, aside from being fun to say (it’s “boo-yuh-beis”), implies the ideas of boiling and broth (Occitan bolhir and French bouillon) and lowering, reducing, or simmering (Occitan abaissar, French abaissé).

1. 1. Fish form the backbone of bouillabaisse, which is ideally made with at least five different kinds of fresh fish including both firm, gelatinous varieties and softer, flakier varieties. Larger fish that hold their shape are taken out of the broth to enjoy separately, while tiny fish disintegrate into the broth. Traditional bouillabaisse includes Mediterranean fish such as red scorpionfish (a type of rockfish), anglerfish, weever, John Dory, gurnard, sea hen, whiting, mullet, eel, wrasse, bream. Some good substitutes for Mediterranean fish include monkfish, turbot, red snapper, striped bass, porgy, grouper, and cod. Traditionally the boiling fish form their own light broth, but some recipes suggest using fish stock or clam juice in place of water for extra oomph.
2. 2. Crustaceans can add color and flavor to the fish broth. Traditionally, small crabs, slipper lobster, and crayfish are used, but you can add shrimp shells or lobster, too.
3. 3. Olive oil is suspended in water to create a creamy texture without dairy.
4. 4. Onion makes a flavorful base for the broth. Some recipes use leeks instead, or a combination of onions and leeks.
5. 5. Garlic cloves are essential to Provinçal cooking—don’t skimp!
6. 6. Tomato is peeled, cored, and seeded so that it can dissolve into the broth. Some recipes also include tomato paste.
7. 7. Saffron gives bouillabaisse its distinctive orange color. It’s pricey, but a little goes a long way.
8. 8. Fennel fronds are the leafy green parts of the fennel plant. They look like sprigs of dill, but smell like anise. Some recipes also add the chopped fennel bulb.
9. 9. Parsley is added at the end of cooking as garnish.
10. 10. Optional: White wine is sometimes used to deglaze the pan after sautéing the aromatic vegetables. Cayenne pepper, orange zest, fresh thyme, and Pernod are all common seasonings added at the beginning of cooking.