How to Make a Michelin-Style Bouillabaisse - The Secrets of French Cuisine
Ingredients
Fish bones
Tomato paste: 2 tbsp
Fennel: 1/2 diced
Onion: 1 diced
Leek: 1/2 diced
White wine: 1/2 cup
Fish stock: 6 cups
Lemon: 1
Pernod: 2 tbsp
Beefsteak tomatoes: 2 use canned if not in season
Garlic: 2 cloves
Bouquet garni: 1
Egg yolks: 2
Dijon mustard: 2 tbsp
Extra virgin olive oil: 4 tbsp
Garlic: 3 cloves
Paprika: i tsp
Saffron: 1 pinch
Espelette pepper: 1 tsp
Saffron: 2 pinches
Fish stock: 5 tbsp
Agar agar: o.9 gr
Fennel: 1/2
Olive oil: 1 tbsp
Lemon juice: 1/2 tbsp
Floury potatoes: 1
Fish stock: 1 cup
Butter: 1 oz
Sea bream: 1 fillet, cut into four
Sea bass: 1 fillet, cut into four
Red mullet: 1 fillet, cut into four
Mussels: 4
Clams: 4
Peeled raw shrimp: 4
Lobster: 1 cut into four
Scallops: 4
12 pcs
The bouillabaisse is an eternal classic of French cuisine and one that makes a spectacular meal, either as a starter or as a main course.
This a somewhat challenging recipe and not for the novice, but it is also a wonderful example of the complexity in cooking with French technique that can transform ingredients into something sensational. Try and stick to the recipe as much as possible, but in time it is of course possible to riff on the ingredients, depending on what seafood is available.
Get the definitive recipe for bouillabaisse as part of our Secrets of French Cuisine series.
Method
In a large Dutch oven, caramelise the vegetables.
Add the fish bones and shells to the pot and cook for 4-5 minutes.
Flambé with the Pernod.
Add the tomato paste and stir, add the tomatoes.
Deglaze with white wine.
Reduce ½ way. Add the bouquet garni.
Top up with the fish/lobster stock.
Cook for 30-45 minutes.
Take it off the heat and add lemon zest and juice.
Blitz the soup with the bones and shell for 4-5 minutes.
Pass it through a fine mesh.
Season and set it aside.
In a pestle and mortar, crush the garlic with spices, add the eggs and mix.
Emulsify with the mortar and add the olive oil in a small streak. Rectify the seasoning.
Rectify the seasoning.
Place the rouille in an ISI gun and set it aside.
In a small saucepan, bring the stock and saffron to a simmer.
Add the agar and cook for 2-3 minutes while whisking occasionally. Season with salt.
Pour the broth in a deep tray lined with plastic wrap.
Let it set in the fridge and cut small 1-inch ring.
Slice the bulb paper-thin, and remove the tops of the fennel.
Pick the fronds and set them aside.
Mix the sliced bulb and tops with the lemon juice and olive oil. Season with salt.
Wash the potato well, and take out balls using a melon baller.
Wash the starch off and place the balls in a pot. Pour the broth over and cook the potato balls until soften.
Season and add the butter, glaze the potatoes and set aside.
Season the fish and scallop with salt.
Sear the fish, shrimp, and scallop in a pan.
In another pan, place the clams and mussels and add some of the finished broth, cover and cook until the shellfish open. Place everything in a paper towel and plate.
Place the fish on a plate, garnish with 3 potato balls, fennel salad, fennel fronds.
Add the saffron jelly. Garnish with lemon balm.
Grill the sourdough, and place on a plate. Top up with rouille.
Place the broth in a jar and serve it table-side.
