Bouillabaisse

Easy one-pot seafood Bouillabaisse recipe made with flavorful Mediterranean spices, a tomato base, and tons of delicious seafood. Serve this hearty stew at your next dinner party or special occasion with crusty bread and creamy roasted red pepper rouille!

Course Main Course

Cuisine French

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 40

Total Time 1

Servings servings

Calories 659kcal

Author John Kanell

Equipment

Large pot, stock pot, or Dutch oven
Blender

Ingredients

For the Rouille:

⅓ cup chopped roasted red pepper (jarred works great)
1 garlic clove
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
⅛ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 pinch saffron threads
1 cup crumbled bread or fresh bread crumbs (60g)
⅓ cup olive oil (80ml)

For the Bouillabaisse:

⅓ cup olive oil (80ml)
1 medium onion chopped
1 fennel bulb sliced
1 leek sliced (white and light green parts only)
1 teaspoon salt
4 garlic cloves minced
2 cups chopped tomatoes (fresh or canned)
2 tablespoons Pernod (or other pastis), optional
3 cups fish stock (720ml)
1 wide strip of orange zest
2 bay leaves
½ teaspoon saffron threads
2 teaspoons fresh thyme
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 pound fish filets cut into large chunks (halibut, cod, grouper, snapper) (450g)
1 pound mussels or clams scrubbed and debearded (450g)
¾ pound jumbo shrimp peeled and deveined (338g)
¾ pound sea scallops (338g)
Toasted baguette or french bread for serving

Instructions

For the Rouille:

In a blender container, combine the roasted red pepper, garlic, salt, pepper, cayenne, and saffron. Add the bread on top. Puree on medium to an almost smooth paste, scraping down the sides of the blender as needed.
With the blender on medium-low, slowly drizzle in the olive oil until a thick smooth sauce forms. Refrigerate until ready to use.

For the Bouillabaise:

In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, fennel, leek, and ½ teaspoon of salt. Cook until softened, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes.
Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Stir in the tomato (if using fresh tomatoes, add 1 cup of water as well) and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes start to break down and the mixture looks saucy, about 6 minutes.
Add the stock, strip of orange zest, bay leaves, saffron, thyme, red pepper flakes, ½ teaspoon salt and ground black pepper. Bring to a simmer.
Nestle the fish filets and mussels into the stew. Reduce heat to medium, then cover and cook for 3 minutes, or until the mussels start to open.
Nestle the shrimp and scallops into the stew. Cover and cook for an additional 3 to 5 minutes, or until the fish and shrimp are cooked through and the mussels have fully opened. Discard any mussels that have not opened at this point. Season with more salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately with a toasted baguette and the rouille. Garnish with fennel fronds, if desired.

Notes

Prep is key. While the actual cooking of this recipe is easy, the setup and organization beforehand are important. Have all of your ingredients cleaned, peeled, chopped, and ready to cook as the cooking process moves quickly once it starts.
Strengthen the rouille. If your rouille breaks and appears curdled or with an oily film that separates at the top after blending the ingredients together, add one tablespoon of mayonnaise or an egg yolk and blend again to emulsify it.
Drain canned tomotoes. If using canned tomatoes instead of fresh ones, mit the water and add the juices from the tomato can instead.
Use different seafood. Overall, fresh seafood is best for the best flavor, so if you need to adjust what you use based on what is available. You can use clams in place of mussels, but keep in mind that they will take an additional 2-3 minutes to open when cooking. Additionally, Red mullet fish fillets can work in this recipe, just note that it will likely add a stronger fishy flavor than other types of fish.
Optional: roast your own red peppers. Clean and deseed 1 red bell pepper. Halve the pepper and arrange the halves face down on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Roast in the oven at 400º F for 30-35 minutes until the skins begin to shrivell and are lightly blistered. Move the peppers to an airtight container or paper bag and let cool completely. Once room temperature, remove the skins and chop up the peppers.
Use a lid. It is important to cover the stock pot or Dutch Oven with a lid as directed in this recipe to properly cook the seafood in the bouillabaisse. Additionally, you can use a 12-inch straight-sided skillet, Dutch oven, or a 12” braiser with a lid.
Optional variations. Add 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice when making the rouille to add a bright flavor note to nicely compliment the other spices. Or add a sweet enhanced flavor to the bouillabaisse by adding 1 tablespoon of tomato paste with the chopped tomatoes. You can also swap the orange peel for lemon peel in the bouillabaisse if desired.

Nutrition