Mediterranean recipe

Marseille Bouillabaisse with Rouille

Name: Marseille Bouillabaisse with Rouille
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Total time: 2 h 10 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Mediterranean cuisine
Ingredients: 1.5 kg mixed fish bones and heads for stock, rinsed; 1 large fennel bulb, sliced, fronds reserved; 1 large onion, sliced; 2 leeks, white parts sliced; 400 g ripe tomatoes, chopped; 4 garlic cloves, crushed; 2 g saffron threads; 1.8 L water for fish stock; 1.2 kg mixed firm white fish fillets, cut in large pieces; 500 g mussels, scrubbed and debearded; 300 g large shrimp, peeled and deveined; 60 ml olive oil; 6 slices crusty bread for serving

A saffron-scented Provençal fish stew built from a rich fish stock, fennel, tomato and several kinds of seafood, served with garlic rouille and toasted bread.

Marseille, Provence, France

Prep: 40 min
Cook: 1 hr 30 min
Total: 2 hr 10 min
Servings: 6

Marseille bouillabaisse with mixed fish, mussels and saffron broth — **Real finished-dish photograph**Photograph by August DominusSource page · Original file · CC0Cropped, resized, and compressed by Recipe Nest Vault.

Ingredients

1.5 kg
mixed fish bones and heads for stock, rinsed
1
large fennel bulb, sliced, fronds reserved
1
large onion, sliced
2
leeks, white parts sliced
400 g
ripe tomatoes, chopped
4
garlic cloves, crushed
2 g
saffron threads
1.8 L
water for fish stock
1.2 kg
mixed firm white fish fillets, cut in large pieces
500 g
mussels, scrubbed and debearded
300 g
large shrimp, peeled and deveined
60 ml
olive oil
6
slices crusty bread for serving

Method

01
Build the fish stock
Heat half the olive oil in a large stockpot. Add half the onion, leek, fennel trimmings and garlic; cook until aromatic, then add fish bones and water.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
02
Simmer and strain the stock
Bring the pot to a boil, lower to a gentle simmer and cook for 45 minutes. Strain through a fine sieve, pressing the solids lightly, then discard the bones.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
03
Cook the aromatic base
Heat the remaining oil in a heavy pot. Cook the remaining onion, leek and sliced fennel until softened, stir in chopped tomato and saffron, then cook until the tomato collapses.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
04
Combine with stock
Pour the strained stock into the tomato-fennel base and simmer until aromatic and well combined. Taste and adjust the salt before adding seafood.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
05
Poach the fish gently
Add the firmest fish pieces first and simmer gently until nearly opaque. Add delicate fillets, mussels and shrimp in stages so each cooks without breaking.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
06
Toast the bread and serve
Toast crusty bread until golden. Ladle broth and seafood into warm bowls or serve the fish on a platter with broth on the side; pass rouille separately.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph

Practical notes

Tips

Use a mix of firm and delicate seafood, adding the fragile pieces last so they stay whole.
Build flavor from the vegetables and fish stock first, then poach seafood gently in the simmering broth.

Common mistakes

A rolling boil can break delicate fish and make shellfish tough; keep the broth at a gentle simmer.
Adding every seafood type at the same time overcooks the small shrimp and thin fillets.

Substitutions

Choose local firm white fish, adding delicate fillets near the end of cooking.
If shellfish is unavailable, increase the fish and enrich the broth with extra fish stock.

Storage

Cool promptly and refrigerate within 2 hours at 0–4°C; use within 3 days and reheat until steaming throughout.

Cultural context

Bouillabaisse is closely tied to Marseille and Provençal fishing culture. Fish varieties depend on the catch; Marseille’s tourism office describes a local charter, while this home version uses accessible firm fish and shellfish rather than claiming to reproduce every restaurant standard.

Sources and photo credit

This standardized method was independently rewritten after cross-checking the references below. Recipe Nest Vault does not claim that the credited photographer cooked from this exact version.

Recipe references

Bouillabaisse, provansalska riblja juha.jpg — Photograph by August Dominus; CC0.

Step illustrations: Original illustrations created by Recipe Nest Vault with OpenAI image_gen.

Back to Mediterranean recipes

Marseille Bouillabaisse with Rouille

Ingredients

Method

Build the fish stock

Simmer and strain the stock

Cook the aromatic base

Combine with stock

Poach the fish gently

Toast the bread and serve

Sources and photo credit

Recipe references

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