This excellent old recipe from Provence arouses great passion and interest. Bouillabaisse consists of aromatic fish chunks poached in a saffron-enhanced broth. The dish is served on two plates. First, the broth is poured over toasted bread croquettes covered with rouille sauce, which enriches the soup; then the fish is eaten. It is certainly a triumph, so take several hours to do it.

Ingredients:

50 ml of extra virgin olive oil

2 large onions, quartered

2 leeks, cut into 5 cm pieces

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 large red tomatoes, skinless, quartered, and seeded

a bunch of fresh thyme, about 50 g

1 fennel bulb, quartered

20 cm strip of orange zest

2 liters of boiling water

1 kg of mixed fish fillets, such as San Pedro rooster, dorado, red snapper, sea bass and gray mullet, cut into 4 cm pieces

1 kg of mixed shellfish, such as crabs, mussels, clams, and prawns

a large pinch of saffron threads

500 g of boiled new potatoes

1 tablespoon of Pernod

4 tablespoons harissa paste or other hot chili paste

1 baguette, sliced ​​and toasted in the oven to make croutes

AIOLI

6-8 large garlic cloves, minced

1/2 teaspoon of sea salt

1 egg, plus 2 egg yolks

220 ml of extra virgin olive oil

1-2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Addresses:

To make the aioli, put the garlic, salt, egg, and egg yolks in a food processor and blend until creamy. Slowly pour in the olive oil until the mixture is thick and emulsified. Add the lemon juice and mix briefly to combine. Set aside.

Heat half the olive oil in a large fire retardant casserole, add the onions, leeks, garlic and tomatoes and sauté until golden brown and wilted. Add the thyme, fennel, and orange zest. Add the boiling water and the remaining oil, then add the fish and shellfish (except mussels or clams) and half the saffron.

Bring back to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10-12 minutes or until fish is opaque. Add the mussels and clams, if using, and cook for 3-4 minutes until they open. Discard those that don’t.

Pour the contents of the skillet through a strainer into a large bowl. Remove the fish and place in a large, hot tureen or serving dish. Using a slotted spoon, press the onions, fennel, thyme, and tomatoes into the strainer, then discard.

Pour the broth back into the rinsed skillet, bring to a boil and cook over very high heat for 5 minutes until emulsified, then mix in half the aioli. Add the hot potatoes and add the Pernod. About a quarter of the mixture over the fish.

Scoop the sides of each soup bowl, then add a generous dollop of aioli to each. Toss the remaining aioli with the remaining harissa and saffron to create a scarlet rouille sauce. Add a tablespoon of rust to the croutons. Serve hot soup on each plate.

When the soup is done, serve the hot fish and potatoes with the remaining aioli and rouille.

makes 4-6 servings