Bouillabaisse

There are several factors that define a bouillabaisse. It is based on a broth made from miniature fish, fish too small for any other use, sold for this purpose in Provençal markets. The broth is typically finished with a sauce rouille. “Rouille”, meaning “rust,” is a mayonnaise made with garlic and olive oil like an aioli but that also includes saffron and sometimes cayenne. Whole fish are poached in the broth and the two served either as separate courses or together.

A bouillabaisse laden with a variety of fish is indeed a thing to behold. There is only one problem— most Americans don’t know how to contend with whole fish. Another problem is the lack of “soup fish” in American fish markets with which to make the broth. To contend with this problem, the bouillabaisse shown here is made with filleted fish. The heads and bones are used to make a flavorful broth and the fillets are poached in the broth at the last minute.

One last fine point—here we quickly sauté the skin side of the fillets to cook the skin and prevent it from contracting when it is poached in the hot soup. If the skin contracts, the fillets curl.

Once the broth is made and the fish poached therein, some of the broth is whisked with the rouille and the rest of the rouille served on the side for drizzling over the soup or for spooning onto toasted slices of baguette, which always accompany a bouillabaisse.” ~ James Peterson

For more on Peterson’s approach to preparing Bouillabaisse please visit his Blog HERE.

Fish Assortment for Bouillabaisse

Fresh European Fish Sourced by Browne Trading provide the base for this dish.

Bouillabaise Fish, L to R: Rouget (red mullet), Scorpionfish, Tail of Monkfish, Scorpionfish, Rouget, and American Red Snapper.

Preparing the Fish

Cut the sharp fins away from the scorpionfish. Take care handling the dorsal spines as they contain (non-lethal) venom.

Scale the fish with a fish scaler. Work inside a plastic bag to keep the scales from flying around.

Fillet the fish. Cut the gills out of the head with shears, then pull the guts out and discard.

Monkfish Tails: cut under the skin and cut it away in strips.

Slide a long knife between the backbone and the fillet. Detach the fillet and repeat on the other side. Take care to remove the membranes from the fillets.

Put the “frames” – the fish bones and heads – in a pot of cold water and let soak for a couple of hours. Change the water every 30 minutes; drain.

Creating the Soup and Sauce Rouille

Sweat chopped onions, leeks (including the greens), fennel, and fresh thyme until the vegetables turn translucent.

Put the frames in the pot with the sweated vegetables

Add seeded tomato halves.

Crush the pieces of fish bones and heads along with the tomatoes using a rolling pin until rather fine.

Create the sauce rouille: crush garlic to a paste with saffron.

Add an egg yolk or two and work for about a minute.

Gently work in olive oil until you have a thick mayonnaise.

Finishing the Dish

Take about half the rouille and whisk some of the hot soup into it. Return this mixture to the rest of the soup base and heat it up until very hot – but not boiling (remember there’s an egg yolk in the mayonnaise).

Saute the fillets, skin-side down, while pressing them with a metal spatula to prevent them from curling.

When the fillets are just about done – cook them almost entirely on the skin side – transfer to them to heated soup plates.

Ladle over the hot broth.

Serve with toasted slices of baguettes and sauce rouille.

About James Peterson and This Recipe:

Jim Peterson is a renowned food author whose fifteen cookbooks have earned him seven James Beard Awards. He is also an accomplished photographer and shoots his own pictures to illustrate his step-by-step processes for preparing his dishes. This recipe was conceived and shot by Jim especially for Browne Trading from his home studio in Brooklyn, NY in early September 2013 using fish sourced and provided by Browne Trading. Learn more about Jim Peterson at his website and blog, wp.jimcooks.com.

All photos are Property of James Peterson, Courtesy of Browne Trading Co. and may not be used without Permission.