Bouillabaisse Traditional French Fish Stew

Ingredients:

1 leek, green top left whole, white finely sliced
Small bunch fresh thyme
3 bay leaves
Bunch parsley, stalks whole, leaves roughly chopped
2 strips of orange peel
1 mild red chilli
4 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, chopped
1 leek
1 fennel, fronds picked and reserved, fennel chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp tomato purée
1 star anise
2 tbsp Pernod, optional, if you have it
4 large, ripe tomatoes, chopped
large pinch (⅓ tsp) saffron strands
1 ½l fish stock
100g potato, one peeled piece
1kg of filleted mixed Mediterranean fish, each fillet cut into large chunks. (We used a mix of red and grey mullet, monkfish, John Dory and gurnard)
300g mussels, optional

For the rouille:

2 garlic cloves
1 small chunk of red chilli (optional)
Small pinch saffron
1 piece of potato, cooked in the broth, (see above)
1 egg yolk
100ml olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
For the croutons
½ baguette, thinly sliced
1 tbsp olive oil

Method:

Step 1: Croutons
Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan/gas 6). Arrange bread slices in a single layer on a baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil and bake for 15 minutes until golden and crisp. Cool and store in an airtight container. You can prepare these a day in advance.

Step 2: Herb Bundle
Wrap thyme, bay leaves, parsley stalks, orange peel, and a dried chilli in a strip of leek’s green top. Tie it with kitchen string to form a bundle. Set aside.

Step 3: Broth Base
Heat olive oil in a large casserole or stock pot. Add chopped onion, sliced leek, and fennel. Cook for 10 minutes until soft. Stir in garlic and cook for 2 more minutes. Add the herb bundle, tomato purée, star anise, Pernod (if using), chopped tomatoes, and saffron. Stir briefly, then pour in the fish stock. Season with salt and pepper. Add one peeled potato and simmer for 30 minutes. Once the potato softens completely, remove and reserve it for the rouille.

Step 4: Rouille
Crush garlic, chilli, and saffron with salt using a mortar and pestle. Mash in the cooked potato. Whisk in the egg yolk and slowly drizzle in olive oil to form a thick, mayonnaise-like sauce. Stir in lemon juice and set aside.

Step 5: Soup & Fish
For a rustic stew, poach the fish and mussels directly in the broth. For a refined version, remove the herb bundle and star anise, blend and strain the soup. Bring to a simmer. Add firm fish like monkfish first, followed by others. Add mussels last and cook until they open.

Step 6: Serve
Arrange fish on a platter with some broth and parsley. Serve with croutons, rouille, and the rest of the broth.