Julia Child's Classic French Bouillabaisse
A simple recipe for Julia Child's bouillabaisse, the classic French seafood soup. The delicious soup with a simple rouille is full of shellfish, seafood, tomatoes and fragrant seasonings and can be made in less than an hour.
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup (118 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 cup (150 g) chopped onion
- 1 cup (89 g) chopped leek
- 4 cloves smashed garlic
- 2 or 3 large ripe tomatoes, chopped or 2 cups canned chopped tomatoes
- 2 ½ quarts (2.5 l) water
- Fresh herb sprigs: thyme parsley, fennel fronds and basil (in any combination)
- 1 2-inch wide strip of fresh orange peel (optional)
- ½ teaspoon crumbled saffron
- 1 tablespoon sea salt
- 3-4 pounds (2 kg) fish heads bones, trimmings, shrimp shells
- 1 pound (450 g) peeled shrimp (save the shells for the stock)
- 1 pound (450 g) cod, halibut or other flaky white fish cut into large chunks
- 1 pound (450 g) mussels or clams scrubbed and mussels debearded
- Crusty bread sliced, for serving
Rouille
- 2 roasted and peeled red bell peppers (jarred peppers are fine)
- ½ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper or more to taste
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 peeled garlic clove
- ¼ cup (28 g) fresh breadcrumbs or ground almonds
- ¼ cup (15 g) fresh parsley leaves
- Fine sea salt about 1/2 teaspoon or to taste
- ⅓ cup (75 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
Instructions
For the broth:
- Make a broth, fortified with lots of seafood shells and trimmings: Heat the oil in a tall pot (I use an 8 quart stockpot) over medium heat. Add the onion and leek and cook gently until softened. Stir in the garlic and cook for a minute until fragrant, then add the tomatoes, water, herbs, orange peel, saffron, salt and fish bones and shrimp shells. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat so that the broth bubbles slowly without boiling.
- Cook 30 minutes, then strain the broth into a large bowl or another pot and discard the solids.
- Pour the broth back into the stockpot and bring to a boil. Add the shrimp and cook until they turn pink, a minute or two. Add the rest of the fish and shellfish, cover and simmer until the mussels or clams open (this will just take a few minutes).
- Taste the soup and add more salt and freshly ground pepper if needed.
Make the rouille:
- Puree the red peppers, cayenne, lemon juice, garlic, breadcrumbs, parsley and salt in a food processor until smooth. Slowly add the olive oil while processing to form a paste.
- Toast the bread and brush with olive oil.
- Serve the soup with bread and rouille.
Notes
- For a heartier soup, serve over cooked broken vermicelli, orzo or other small pasta shape.
- The broth can be prepared up to a day in advance. Store in the refrigerator and bring to a simmer. Add the seafood and cook as in Step 3.
Nutrition
Calories: 996kcalCarbohydrates: 10gProtein: 141gFat: 44gSodium: 962mgFiber: 2gSugar: 4g
