Bouillabaisse
Photo: Slastic · CC BY 3.0

History

Marseille fishermen had cooked a leftover fish stew on the quays for centuries, but the codification into bouillabaisse-as-restaurant-dish came in the early 20th century. Le Miramar (1965) was a founding member of the Charte de la Bouillabaisse, and Chez Michel has cooked the same recipe at the Catalans beach since 1946. The dish always uses Mediterranean rock fish bought off the morning quay boats; rouille of garlic, saffron and olive oil binds it. The two-service ritual (broth then fish carved tableside) is the marker of a real Marseille bouillabaisse.

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Common allergens: Fish, Shellfish, Gluten, Eggs

Make it at home

Yield 6Hands-on 1 hr 30 minTotal 3 hrDifficulty Advanced

Ingredients

  • 2kg mixed Mediterranean rock fish (rascasse, galinette, conger, saint-pierre)
  • 500g fish heads and bones for the stock
  • 4 ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped
  • 2 large onions, sliced
  • 1 fennel bulb, sliced
  • 1 head of garlic, cloves crushed
  • Pinch of saffron threads
  • 1 strip of dried orange peel
  • Bouquet garni (thyme, bay, parsley)
  • 150ml dry white wine
  • 100ml olive oil
  • Salt and pepper
  • For the rouille: 2 garlic cloves, 1 egg yolk, pinch saffron, 200ml olive oil, dash white wine vinegar
  • Toasted baguette croutons for serving

Method

  1. Sweat the onions, fennel and garlic in olive oil until soft. Add the tomatoes, fish heads and bones, saffron, orange peel and bouquet garni. Pour in the wine and 2 litres of cold water. Simmer 45 minutes, then strain into a clean pan, pressing the solids.
  2. Bring the broth to a strong boil, season well. Add the firmest fish first (rascasse, conger), cook 8 minutes; add the softer fish (saint-pierre, galinette), cook a further 4 to 6 minutes until the eyes whiten.
  3. Lift the fish out carefully onto a serving plate; keep warm.
  4. Make the rouille: pound the garlic and saffron in a mortar, work in the egg yolk, then drizzle in the olive oil whisking constantly to emulsify. Finish with a dash of vinegar and salt.
  5. Serve the broth first in deep bowls with toasted baguette croutons, rouille and grated Gruyere on the side. Bring the carved fish to table as the second service.

Tip from the editors. Use a wide pan so the fish cooks in a single layer; the broth must be at a strong rolling boil not a simmer, otherwise the fish goes flabby instead of firm.

Where to eat bouillabaisse

Bouillabaisse in Marseille

Chez Fonfon ★ 4.8

€€€ Provencal Seafood7e

Chez Fonfon in Marseille's 7e sits in the Vallon des Auffes cove and has cooked bouillabaisse for the Mounier family since 1952, the fish landed each morning.

OrderThe bouillabaisse for two, served in the traditional sequence of broth then carved fish.

TipClosed late January for two weeks; book a sea-side table at lunch for the cove light.

Directions Book

Chez Michel ★ 4.8

€€€ Provencal Seafood7e

Chez Michel in Marseille's 7e has cooked the oldest bouillabaisse in the city since 1946, the Visciano family now in the third generation at the Catalans.

OrderThe bouillabaisse at €80 per person, two-person minimum, the canonical reference in the city.

TipReservation only; cash and card both accepted. Closed Sunday evening and Monday lunch.

Directions Book

Le Miramar ★ 4.6

€€€ Provencal Seafood2e

Le Miramar in Marseille's 2e was founded in 1965 and is a founding member of the Bouillabaisse Charter, Christian Buffa in the kitchen running fish.

OrderThe bouillabaisse at €80, served quayside with Notre-Dame de la Garde over your shoulder.

TipClosed Monday; the front terrace looks straight at the cathedral on the hill.

Directions Book

Chez Madie Les Galinettes ★ 4.4

€€ Provencal2e

Chez Madie Les Galinettes in Marseille's 2e has cooked the Provencal canon on the Quai du Port since 1995 under Delphine Roux, an affordable bouillabaisse.

OrderThe bouillabaisse at €59, half the price of the seafront rooms with the same view.

TipBook a terrace table for sunset; the Provencal stew at lunch is the value play.

Directions Book

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