How to make bouillabaisse for the holidays

"And that is exactly how I was taught to make and to serve bouillabaisse by a fourth-generation Marseillaise. He invited me to his house, along with my young family, where he proceeded to take me, step by step, through the process, starting with making fish stock with the heads and carcasses of the fish that he had purchased at the early morning fish market."

"Next, we laid out the fish on branches of wild fennel, doused them with olive oil and a sprinkle of saffron. The soupe de poisson and rouille were duly prepared, and one by one, the fish and the eel were added, and finally, the shellfish. The potatoes, he told me, were really an addition from the Toulon version, but he thought they were a good idea, he said, as he set down a bottle of white wine from neighboring Cassis."

"Over time, the stew evolved to an unctuous base made of rockfish, herbs, potatoes and tomatoes combined with fish stock, ground with a food mill and strained. To my thinking, this is the best part of the dish. It is complex and deeply flavored without being overwhelming. In the traditional way, this base, essentially soupe de poisson, is served as a first course with grilled bread and rouille, a spicy garlic-and-red pepper version of aioli."

Bouillabaisse originated as a humble fishermen's stew in Marseilles, made from unsold catch seasoned with wild herbs and cooked in seawater over wood fires. The stew developed an unctuous base of rockfish, herbs, potatoes, tomatoes, and fish stock that is ground and strained into soupe de poisson. Traditionally the soupe de poisson is served first with grilled bread and rouille; the fish and shellfish are then poached in the remaining broth and served as a second course alongside boiled potatoes. Traditional preparation includes fish stock from heads and carcasses, fish laid on wild fennel, olive oil, saffron, and regional white wine. Modern variations include single-course presentations, enriched tomato broths, and additions such as lobster or crab.

Read at The Mercury News