How to make bouillabaisse, a French fishermen's feast

"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."

"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."

Bouillabaisse originated as a fishermen's stew made from unsold catch, seasoned with wild herbs and cooked in kettles of sea water over wood fires. The dish evolved into an unctuous base of rockfish, herbs, potatoes and tomatoes combined with fish stock, ground and strained to make soupe de poisson. The soupe de poisson is traditionally served first with grilled bread and rouille. Fish and shellfish are then poached in the remaining base and served as a second course with additional soup, toasts, rouille and boiled potatoes. Traditional aromatics include wild fennel, olive oil and saffron. Variations now include single-course versions with enriched tomato broth and occasional additions like lobster or crab.

Read at Boston Herald