BOUILLABAISSE – a cooking class in Marseille

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This Bouillabaisse a noble dish is – A sort of soup or broth, or brew, Or hotchpotch of all sorts of fishes, That Greenwich never could outdo; Green herbs, red peppers, mussels, saffron, Soles, onions, garlic, roach, and dace; All these you eat at Terre’s tavern, In that one dish of Bouillabaisse. — William Makepeace Thackeray

Hi there,

You may remember my previous post about the celebration of the summer solstice in Provence. While in Provence, we took a side trip to Marsielle to take a cooking class.

We were to learn to make Bouillabaisse in the style of Marseille. This was to be no ordinary cooking class. Upon arrival we met our teacher who told us we would do all the shopping with him before going to his atelier to prepare our meal.

The first stop was the fish market. What an amazing sight that was. The fish were right off the boat and sold by the fisherman. There were many different varieties of fish but we were on the hunt for the very specific fish that were called for in the recipe.

I have to admit being more than a bit overwhelmed by these fish.

The next stop was the green grocer to purchase the vegetables that were needed for the meal. After that we went to a place that is this side of heaven, a French boulangerie and then off to buy the all important vin.

We felt very French as we took all our purchases back to our host’s apartment and divided up into teams.

This is one team who seem a little daunted about preparing those fish.

All the preparation, the cooking and the serving were done outside on a beautiful patio that overlooked the city.

The whole afternoon was about as far away from my everyday life as possible and one I will remember forever.


BOUILLABAISSE AS SERVED IN MARSEILLE

Ingredients:

For the Fish soup

  • 2Kg of small skinned fish such as bream, bass, haddock, mullet or gurnard (Mediterranean rock fish)
  • 1Kg of fish trimmings and bones, including heads,
  • 2 leeks and 1 onion
  • 2 big ripped tomatoes and concentrated tomato paste
  • 4 garlic cloves, saffron, dried fennel branches, 2 dried bay leaves, salt, pepper, olive oil
    For the Rouille Sauce
  • 300ml of oil (1/2 olive oil & ½ sunflower oil)
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 tea spoon of mustard
  • ½ lemon juice
  • 1 dose of saffron and some Paprika

For the Bouillabaisse

  • Go for 400 to 500gr per persons for the bigger fish. Fish with a rather harder meat : Red Rascasse fish, Sea Robin, capon fish, weever , Monkfish, European conger,… Fish with a rather tender meat : roucaou, sea bass, Gilt head bream, St Peter (John dory), whiting ,… Buy different types of fish of a similar size . . . Have the fish washed, scaled and emptied.
  • 2 onions & 2 garlic cloves
  • 2 medium size potatoes per person
  • 2 ripped tomatoes
  • 2 saffron doses, branches of dried fennel, 2 dried bay leaves, olive oil, salt, pepper and a drop of pastis

Preparation:

Preparation for the soup: Clean & cut the leeks and the onions and brown them in a warm cooking pot on a high fire along with 4 table spoon worth of olive oil. Add the roughly cutted tomatoes, the bay leaves, fennel branches, crushed garlic, 4 table spoon worth of tomatoes concentrated paste. After about 5 minutes stirring, add the small fish, the trimmings, bones and heads. Keep stirring above a high fire for 5 minutes add salt and pepper. Add 2 liters of hot water and a dose of saffron. Once it is boiling, turn the fire to low-medium for an extra 15 minutes. Then let it cool down. After a while, take out all the bones, heads, branches and mix all the rest. Filter the obtained mixture to only keep the liquid. That’s your soup. To do so, fill your strainer, stir and press the mixture using a pestle. Empty your strainer from the more solid parts, and repeat.
Preparation for the rouille sauce : In a mortar or a bowl, add the yolk of an egg (kept at the ambient temperature), salt and a tea spoon worth of mustard. Mix it all, and add the oil pouring very slowly while always keeping on stirring with a fork or a whisk. Before you end pouring the oil, add the lemon juice, the crushed garlic, saffron, paprika and pepper. Before reserving in the fridge, taste and add ingredients to your flavor.
Preparation of the Bouillabaisse : In a large cooking pot (large enough to have all of your bigger fishes laying flat), spread successively the following ingredients laying flat. First the thinly sliced onions and the crushed garlic with olive oil, then the potatoes sliced ½ cm (1/5 of an inch), fennel branches, bay leaves, the peeled and thinly sliced tomatoes, saffron and pastis. Add salt & pepper. Lay the hard meat fish only. Put on a high fire, and leave it on 5 to 10 minutes simmering without stirring but lightly shaking you pot to avoid the onions to burn. Pour the re-heated soup to cover the fish. If there is not enough add a little water. The timing for cooking is now crucial. When the soup in the pot is boiling, lower your fire to medium (to a light boiling) and count 5 minutes. Then add the tender meat fish (they have to lay under the soup as well) for another 5 minutes. Stop your fire and check if your fish is cooked (white to the bone). If not, put it back in the warm soup for a few extra minutes. Take the fillets out of the ones that are cooked. Once all the fish are out, kept in a warm spot, take out the potatoes slices and filter the soup through a strainer to recuperate the soup only. On your guest’s table set the soup, the fish with potatoes and the Rouille. Some will prefer starting with the soup, adding garlic croutons topped with rouille & grated cheese ; and finish with the fish.

Special Note: A Bouillabaisse, to be served in perfect conditions, should be prepared for at least a party of 6 to 7. This allows to purchase a wider variety of fish. Another thing, fishing not being a precise science, you will have to be perseverant to find all the different types of fresh Mediterranean fish. If you are far from the Mediterranean, use your local white meat fish. The recipe proposed here, consists in poaching the bigger fish into the small fish soup. It is the luxury version of the recipe, as it differs from the original fishermen’s who were simply recuperating the damaged and unsold parts. Ideally with a Bouillabaisse serve a Bandol Rosé wine like Château de Pibarnon.

Talk soon, ❤️💕 Bernadette

31 responses to “BOUILLABAISSE – a cooking class in Marseille”

  1. Clive – A Man of Kent, long exiled in Essex. I retired in September 2013 and life is generally good. Started the blog for mental health, which is still an important theme for me, but lately I seem to have become a blog DJ 😊🤘
    Clive says:

    This brings back memories! Many years ago we had a holiday on a campsite, hidden between trees just across a small road by the beach, midway between Bandol and Sanary. We ate out several times in Bandol, and once we had bouillabaisse. The waiter recommended one of the local wines, and it was a rosé. I wonder if it was the same one…

      • Clive – A Man of Kent, long exiled in Essex. I retired in September 2013 and life is generally good. Started the blog for mental health, which is still an important theme for me, but lately I seem to have become a blog DJ 😊🤘
        Clive says:

        We are indeed! You have a lovely weekend too 😊

  2. Angie@Angie's Recipes – Angie's Recipes is an interactive blog dedicated to sharing yummy & creative recipes, helpful cooking hints and tips. Enjoy your visit and spread the word!
    Angie Schneider says:

    I love Bouillabaisse, but have never tried doing it myself. Not sure where I can get all sorts of fish..but my brother will be great making soup/stew like this.
    angiesrecipes
    http://angiesrecipes.blogspot.com

    • The chef/instructor said any kind of meatly fish work in the recipe. Let me know if your borther makes it. I would be curious to read his substiutions. Have a great weekend Angie.

  3. Angela – New England-born, Pennsylvania raised, and 100% Italian-American, I've been writing since Sister Mary Dolores taught me how. My husband's a concrete sequential Leo and I’m a daydreaming Pisces, which makes life just a bit more interesting, as do our kids, grands, and the inimitable Miss Puppy Clouseau.
    Angela says:

    Memories here as well. Oh, those beautiful villages. Loved the post.

  4. 💜 Sounds like a SupaSpecial Chowder EveryOne; drooling like Homer Simpson EveryBody 🤣

    …💛💚💙…

  5. Jacqui Murray – Laguna Hills, CA. – Jacqui Murray is the author of the popular prehistoric fiction saga, Man vs. Nature which explores seminal events in man’s evolution one trilogy at a time. She is also the author of the Rowe-Delamagente thrillers and Building a Midshipman, the story of her daughter’s journey from high school to United States Naval Academy. Her non-fiction includes over a hundred books on integrating tech into education, reviews as an Amazon Vine Voice, and a freelance journalist on tech ed topics. Look for her next prehistoric fiction, Savage Land.
    Jacqui Murray says:

    It’s chilly here today so this sounds excellent.

  6. Dorothy's New Vintage Kitchen – I'm a writer, cook, gardener, photographer, poet, quilter, and accomplished daydreamer. I'm also a wife, mother, grandmother, sister. cousin, aunt, and friend, no particular order on any given day. I've been a writer all my life, newspaper reporter and columnist, radio news writer, and magazine contributor, and poet and short-story writer as the spirit moves. Now, I turn my attention to my cookbook, the blog, and a cooking column "Memorable Meals," which runs in our county newspaper. Besides my family, I love dogs, cats, good coffee, and my never-dwindling pile of books I intend to read. Our family ran a small Vermont Inn for 18 years, with our focus on local, organic ingredients. After many years of daily serving up of our local delicacies, cooking classes, and catering, we are now only open for special events, and the odd cooking class as the spirit moves me. We also host musicians and artists, having helped produce a musical festival and other musical events for nearly 20 years. Many incredible artists have found a place at our table. Wonderful experiences, we will treasure always. My family and friends are my practice subjects. With a family that includes nut, peanut, tree fruit, and vegetable allergies, gluten intolerance, dairy intolerance, vegetarians, vegans, heart conscious, and a couple of picky eaters, there has to be a few quick tricks in the book to keep everyone fed and happy! Personally, I do not eat red meat or most dairy (usually) for health reasons, making the occasional exception at Thanksgiving and Christmas or our anniversary if the duck is locally raised. I do eat fish and seafood, so I try to come up with alternatives and substitutions when available. I serve local organic eggs and cheeses to my family who can tolerate dairy (My husband recently had a heart attack, and I need to watch my own cholesterol so I am careful, but have been known to let a little piece of really good cheese accidentally fall on my plate!). I believe strongly that eating in a way that is good for our planet is also good for our bodies! I cook by the seasons and draw on inspiration from the strong and talented women in my family who came before me, as well as the youth in the family who look at the world with fresh eyes. Food links us all, whether sharing a meal, cooking it together, or writing about it for others to enjoy. I love taking an old recipe and giving it a modern spin, especially if I can make it a littler healthier and use foods that are kinder to the Earth and to our bodies. I believe strongly in sustainable, delicious eating of whole foods, and the wonderful flavors we have at our fingertips! And finally, I love conversing with all the talented cooks and chefs out there who dot the globe! It's a wonderful, world full of culinary pen pals, and I cherish them all! XXXOOO Dorothy
    Dorothy’s New Vintage Kitchen says:

    What a wonderful memory, and thank you so much for sharing the recipe.
    I make bouillabaisse about once a year, making a ritual out of it starting with the broth. It is a great deal of fun, and always a memorable meal.

      • Dorothy's New Vintage Kitchen – I'm a writer, cook, gardener, photographer, poet, quilter, and accomplished daydreamer. I'm also a wife, mother, grandmother, sister. cousin, aunt, and friend, no particular order on any given day. I've been a writer all my life, newspaper reporter and columnist, radio news writer, and magazine contributor, and poet and short-story writer as the spirit moves. Now, I turn my attention to my cookbook, the blog, and a cooking column "Memorable Meals," which runs in our county newspaper. Besides my family, I love dogs, cats, good coffee, and my never-dwindling pile of books I intend to read. Our family ran a small Vermont Inn for 18 years, with our focus on local, organic ingredients. After many years of daily serving up of our local delicacies, cooking classes, and catering, we are now only open for special events, and the odd cooking class as the spirit moves me. We also host musicians and artists, having helped produce a musical festival and other musical events for nearly 20 years. Many incredible artists have found a place at our table. Wonderful experiences, we will treasure always. My family and friends are my practice subjects. With a family that includes nut, peanut, tree fruit, and vegetable allergies, gluten intolerance, dairy intolerance, vegetarians, vegans, heart conscious, and a couple of picky eaters, there has to be a few quick tricks in the book to keep everyone fed and happy! Personally, I do not eat red meat or most dairy (usually) for health reasons, making the occasional exception at Thanksgiving and Christmas or our anniversary if the duck is locally raised. I do eat fish and seafood, so I try to come up with alternatives and substitutions when available. I serve local organic eggs and cheeses to my family who can tolerate dairy (My husband recently had a heart attack, and I need to watch my own cholesterol so I am careful, but have been known to let a little piece of really good cheese accidentally fall on my plate!). I believe strongly that eating in a way that is good for our planet is also good for our bodies! I cook by the seasons and draw on inspiration from the strong and talented women in my family who came before me, as well as the youth in the family who look at the world with fresh eyes. Food links us all, whether sharing a meal, cooking it together, or writing about it for others to enjoy. I love taking an old recipe and giving it a modern spin, especially if I can make it a littler healthier and use foods that are kinder to the Earth and to our bodies. I believe strongly in sustainable, delicious eating of whole foods, and the wonderful flavors we have at our fingertips! And finally, I love conversing with all the talented cooks and chefs out there who dot the globe! It's a wonderful, world full of culinary pen pals, and I cherish them all! XXXOOO Dorothy
        Dorothy’s New Vintage Kitchen says:

        Just family and friends now, and the occasional artist or musician or former repeat guest we just can’t say no to!

  7. patriciastreeter – United States – Magnify Your Style started off as a fashion based website, but I am passionate about more than clothing. In truth, style is just a way of doing things. Overtime, Magnify Your Style has covered different outlets. Though I still have a place in my heart for fashion, Magnify Your Style is a site that encourages embracing multiple creative outlets. For those that have followed me from the beginning, thank you for your support. For new readers, thank you for stopping by. Feel free to stay a while.
    patriciastreeter says:

    I would be daunted too. I have limited experience cooking fish. The soup looks delicious. Looks like a fun experience.

  8. Time Traveler of Life – Where my Motor Home is! – Biography Creating worlds, characters, and wielding power like a madwoman, making my characters happy, sad, angry, and some of them with no redeeming qualities. I probably shouldn’t admit this, but I sometimes laugh out loud when I am writing a scene, and I have been known to cry when one of my favorites has to die. I am a left-handed Gemini, what do you expect? Reading bedtime stories to my two children until they fell asleep or until they just told me to go away, was fun. Making up wild stories for my grandchild, and creating Halloween costumes from Cowboys to a Dragon, was another favorite thing to do. I missed that so much when they were grown, that I started writing. My yearly newsletters frequently were drafted third-person by my Love Birds, Miranda our motorhome, and by Sir Fit the White Knight, our faithful Honda. Throughout the years, some of my creative talents centered around writing letters of complaint expressing my displeasure with services or products. One crucial, at least to my Son, was a note to our local school bus driver petitioning her to allow him back on the bus. He was kicked off for making an obscene gesture at his buddy. I reminded her that it was not directed at her, and that “obscenity can be in the eye of the beholder,” kids use that gesture as a greeting. He rode the bus until he graduated. I loved driving my English teacher crazy. Leaving a “continued next week” at the end of my five handwritten pages required each week. He was one of many people that suggested I “do something about my writing.” I graduated from the School of Hard Knocks at the top of my class. After 30 years, in the trenches as a Real Estate Professional, I have found that truth is stranger than fiction. My books are filled with characters I met in that profession. Their names were changed to protect the guilty. Others were from people we met traveling around the country in Miranda, our Motorhome. I am married nearly 60 years to the love of my life, Shirl, and partner-produced two exceptionally talented children, and one grandchild who is our pride and joy.
    Time Traveler of Life says:

    It is something I would love to eat, but I would never try to cook something that requires so much time and preparation. I am a simple plain cook. It sounds scrumptious and would love to try it sometime, maybe I will get to go to a wonderful restaurant in the distant future (Covid) and can order it.

  9. V.M.Sang – UK – I was born and educated in the north west of England. I trained as a teacher in Manchester and taught in Salford, Lancashire, Hampshire and Croydon. I write fantasy novels currently. I also make cards, knit, crochet, tat, do cross stitch and paint. I enjoy walking on the Downs, cycling and kayaking. I do not enjoy housework, but like cooking.
    V.M.Sang says:

    When we were in Marseille, we thought we’d have bouillabaisse, so we set out to find a restaurant selling it. We came across one and asked if they served it. We were told, ‘That’s just for the tourists. But if you insist, you need to go down to the harbour.’ We decided to eat here and had a delicious meal.
    The harbour was crowded, and, yes, bouillabaisse was being served, but at a ridiculous price. We were glad we’d eaten at the earlier restaurant.

  10. the Painted Apron – Life is all about creativity for me, as long as I'm creating something I am happy! I hope I will inspire your daily life and give you ideas for your own wonderful creations!
    the Painted Apron says:

    What a fabulous experience that must have been, from the local shopping, to the preparation and then the eating!
    Jenna

  11. D. Wallace Peach – 30 Miles beyond the edge of civilization, Oregon – I'm an adventurer in writing, peering under rocks in my garden for secret magic. I can't stop writing. My stories want to explode from my head. They demand my attention and surge from my fingertips faster than I can put them to paper. I love what I do.
    D. Wallace Peach says:

    What a totally cool experience, Bernadette! A cultural immersion in cuisine. I can’t imagine many things that would be more fun for someone who loves to cook. I hope you get to take more international cooking classes… in the recipe’s host country! <3

      • D. Wallace Peach – 30 Miles beyond the edge of civilization, Oregon – I'm an adventurer in writing, peering under rocks in my garden for secret magic. I can't stop writing. My stories want to explode from my head. They demand my attention and surge from my fingertips faster than I can put them to paper. I love what I do.
        D. Wallace Peach says:

        <3

  12. marymtf – I took a writing course when I was, well let’s put it this way, I was past my prime. What I discovered was that not everyone can write novels and even fewer people get the chance to have them published. And, too, I discovered that while taking a writing course enhances the skills you already have and teaches you some necessary techniques it does not necessarily make you a writer I can’t write novels but I do write articles; many have been published. I am trying to expand my writing horizons a bit but don’t intend to give up writing about my grandchildren. It’s like keeping a journal. .
    marymtf says:

    Now why didn’t I know you last winter, Bernadette? I did my own version of Bouillabaisse. It’s my husband’s favourite meal that he ordered when restaurants were open. Didn’t taste too bad, but not the genuine thing. 👍

      • marymtf – I took a writing course when I was, well let’s put it this way, I was past my prime. What I discovered was that not everyone can write novels and even fewer people get the chance to have them published. And, too, I discovered that while taking a writing course enhances the skills you already have and teaches you some necessary techniques it does not necessarily make you a writer I can’t write novels but I do write articles; many have been published. I am trying to expand my writing horizons a bit but don’t intend to give up writing about my grandchildren. It’s like keeping a journal. .
        marymtf says:

        Ive been cooking and experimenting for fifty years so it wasn’t too bad an outcome. But I didn’t know about rouille, didn’t realise till I prepared it that I should have asked for firmer fish, didn’t fry the veg and didn’t know about the herbs. I have a lovely fishmonger who gave me fresh fish, and most importantly, scooped the eyes out of the head. 🤭
        Thanks to you, I have copied your recipe and pasted it into my Pages for next winter.😘

  13. Linda – I am a devoted wife and mother who loves to create delicious meals for my family and friends. I also love traveling, interior decorating and photography.
    Linda says:

    This sounds like an absolute amazing experience!

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