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4.9 from 141 votes

Bouillabaisse

A simple and flavorful recipe that's sure to be a favorite.

Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Additional Time
3 hrs 20 mins
Total Time
4 hrs 10 mins
Servings: 4 servings
Cuisine: French

Ingredients

  • 3 pounds sea bass cut in 12 small portions
  • 3 pounds red snapper cut in 12 small portions
  • 12 snow crab legs
  • 12 tiny Florida lobster tail
  • olive oil extra virgin
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 2 fennel bulb
  • 1 pound potatoes peeled, turned and blanched
  • baguette stale
  • 2 garlic clove
  • 1/2 lemon juice only
  • 3 tablespoons Tabasco Chipotle pepper sauce
  • 1 tablespoon saffron
  • 2 cups white wine dry
  • 3.5 quarts water
  • 1/2 teaspoon Provence herbs
  • 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
  • 1/4 cup pastis or any other Mediterranean, anise based liquor
ROUILLE
  • 1 cup olive oil extra virgin
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 2 clove garlic
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 small potatoes cooked and peeled
  • 1 teaspoon saffron
  • 6 tablespoons Tabasco garlic pepper

Instructions

Broth:
    Cup of Yum
  1. Make a broth with the snow crab legs, lobster shell, garlic, Tabasco chipotle pepper sauce, saffron, salt, wine, COLD water, Provence herbs, fennel seeds and Pastis. Bring to a boil and simmer 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and let infuse the flavors 20 minutes. You should end up with 4 quarts of clear, saffron color broth. Reserve the crab legs for future use.
Bouillabaisse:
  1. Toss all the fish, lobster, fennel and potatoes in olive oil, salt and pepper, and garlic. Marinate for 3 hours (ideally overnight).
Rouille:
  1. In a mortar, mash garlic and saffron with a pestle until you obtain a paste. Add the cooked potato and mash. Add and beat the eggs until very thick and lemon colored. Add salt.
  2. Beating constantly, add olive oil VERY SLOWLY — literally drop by drop. After about half the oil has been added and the mixture is thickening, add lemon juice. Then continue adding olive oil slowly, beating until a thick emulsion (mayonnaise texture) is formed. At the end, add Tabasco garlic pepper sauce.
Assembly:
  1. Make crostini with stale baguette. Put the broth in a large sautoir and simmer gently. Delicately add the fish and lobster, fennel, potatoes and poach for about 10 minutes, depending on firmness of fish. Add crab legs at the end to reheat. Serve at once in a large soup bowl. Decorate with sprig of fennel, and a crostini with rouille.

Notes