Bouillabaisse or the Marseille ear, as it is called in another way, appeared several centuries ago in the French city of Marseille. Fishermen, who sold freshly caught sea catch, prepared a soup for dinner from the remains of fish, which they did not have time to sell in a day.
Initially, dry white bread, vegetables and fish were added to the soup, and sometimes shellfish or shrimp were added to this, depending on what was left with the fishermen after the trade. However, soon the dish of the poor began to be served in local restaurants, and the guests of the establishments were delighted with the fish soup. Then, enterprising chefs replaced simple ingredients with expensive products and began to sell bouillabaisse for 100-200 euros per serving.
Today, some variations of the dish use lobster, others use king prawns or scallops, but the rich fish broth remains unchanged, which is an indispensable base for Marseille fish soup.
From the moment the dish became popular in restaurants in Marseille, it was talked about in other regions of France, and later around the world - today bouillabaisse is one of the most popular soups in the world, and every French restaurant necessarily includes this position in its menu.
Today in the world there are a great many recipes for making Marseille fish soup, but we will share a traditional recipe and tell you how bouillabaisse is prepared in Marseille.
Ingredients:
- Seabass 500 g
- Catfish 500 g
- Sea bass 500 g
- Halibut 500 g
- Hake 200 g
- Scallops 120 g
- Royal shrimps 200 g
- Mussels in flaps 100 g
- Large tomatoes 4 pcs.
- Leek 2 pcs.
- Bulb onions 2 pcs.
- Garlic 4 cloves
- Olive oil 4 tablespoons
- Celery 2 stalks
- Fennel 1 pc.
- Pepper
- Salt
Cooking method:
First you need to wash and peel the vegetables. Then finely chop the leek, garlic, celery and send them to a preheated pan with olive oil.
While the vegetables are cooking, rinse and cut the fish - all trimmings, except for the entrails, must be added to the vegetables in the pan. Add the mussels in the shutters and unpeeled shrimps there, then pour water into the pan so that it covers all the ingredients, and simmer for about twenty minutes.
After the broth is cooked, strain it, discard the fish trimmings, and peel the shrimp and mussels. Then pour the broth into a saucepan, add seafood and chopped fish fillets there.
Next, chop the fennel and onions and send them to a separate frying pan. Peel the tomatoes, chop and add to the vegetables. Fry for a few minutes over medium heat, then add to the saucepan.
It takes about 30 minutes to cook the bouillabaisse. During the cooking process, if you wish, you can add a mixture of Provencal herbs to the soup - this will give the dish a special flavor.
Serve the prepared Marseille fish soup hot in deep bowls with slices of toasted white bread.
Photo: Getty Images
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