Text by Conny Kästner
The legend that it originated from the leftover soup of poor fishermen’s wives and market women at the port of Marseille is probably as false as it is romantic. The dish has never been a variation on a simple fish soup, according to the *Oxford Companion to Food*, a standard work in the world of gastronomy. According to this source, the humble relative of bouillabaisse is called ‘matelote de poisson’ and was first mentioned in a cookbook in 1790, accompanied by descriptions of how fishermen’s wives are said to have cooked the soup on the shore over an open fire for their husbands at sea.
It was first mentioned under the title ‘Bouillabaisse à la Marseillaise’ in 1830. The recipe already called for sea bass and lobsters – ingredients that a fisherman would hardly bring home as offcuts from his catch. More recently, the bourgeoisie had the audacity to appropriate bouillabaisse – as a luxury dish. But here we are attempting to adapt the preparation of bouillabaisse to the limitations of a ship’s galley.
The ingredients
It takes place in two stages, the first of which can be quite a messy business, as it requires, above all, a good fishmonger who stocks not only premium fish but also smaller sea creatures. These are the fish that dart about in the shelter of the rocks, including scorpionfish, conger eel, whiting and many similarly unattractive specimens, which the galley chef on a sailing yacht would normally have no idea what to do with.
Nowadays, fishmongers tend to stock only the high-priced prime cuts, such as boneless fillets. The rest of the fish is often thrown away. We therefore prefer to buy whole fish, such as mackerel, herring, small sea bass or similar, cut the fillets off and use the heads and carcasses to make the soup (‘Soupe de roche’). A fish head or the skin of a sole can also be used for this. Fish carcasses are often available from fishmongers at the harbour.
Preparation
The secret, however, isn’t the fish at all, say the housewives of Marseille, but the way they’re prepared. You have to start with ‘soupe de roche’, made with small rockfish that aren’t ready to eat, which give it a special flavour, but are unfortunately hard to come by in Germany. Fish bones, scampi heads or similar ingredients will do just as well. Fry them in olive oil. Add leeks, fennel and tomatoes, along with bay leaves, onions and garlic; let everything brown well, but gently … doucement! Then pour in some water.
In the second stage of preparation, further flavour is added to the soup in the form of white wine, dry vermouth and pastis (from Marseille), orange peel and saffron (just a little!). The fish bones and so on are then removed, and the fish and shellfish are added, in order of cooking time. This should be done carefully and not for too long, as these ingredients will be removed again.
Serving suggestions
There are typically two ways of serving bouillabaisse. The first is in two courses: the strained soup is served with bread and rouille, followed by the fish that has been removed from the soup.
The second option: the fish and shellfish are served on a platter alongside the vegetables, and everyone helps themselves as they wish. Bread, rouille sauce and Parmesan are then served on the side.
But here’s a suggestion on how to cook bouillabaisse given the limited resources available on board. Two burners are enough; all you need is a large saucepan and a frying pan.
More on the topic of ‘Cooking on board’:
Using the on-board equipment
Wash the fish fillets, cut them into rough chunks and set aside in a cool place. Wash the prawns and mussels under cold running water. Peel the onions and garlic cloves and dice them finely. Trim the fennel, leek, celery and carrots and cut them into rough chunks.
Now heat the oil in a large saucepan. Briefly fry the vegetables in it over a high heat, then sweat them over a low heat for 10 minutes. Stir in the tomato purée and saffron, fry briefly, then deglaze with the wine and pastis. Simmer for a further 5 minutes. Pour in the fish stock, add the bouquet garni, put the lid on and leave the soup to simmer over a low heat for about 30 minutes.
There are also various options when it comes to the stock. Either you can use a ready-made one from a jar, or you can make one by simmering fish heads, carcasses and prawn heads with an onion, spices and herbs, which takes about half an hour. A third option, available in Scandinavian supermarkets, is fish stock cubes, which can still be used to achieve a respectable result when making bouillabaisse.
Meanwhile, slice the baguette, toast it in the oven or in a frying pan until golden brown, and set aside. Add the diced tomatoes, mussels and shellfish to the soup and leave to simmer for 8 to 12 minutes. Finally, fry the lightly salted fish fillets skin-side down in a frying pan, remove the bouquet garni, season the soup with salt and pepper, then ladle it onto plates and serve with the fried fish fillets, toasted bread, rouille sauce and cheese.
Enjoy your meal!
Recipe for bouillabaisse
Ingredients for 4 people
- 1.5 kg of firm-fleshed saltwater fish (e.g. red mullet, monkfish, sea bass)
- 6 prawns, in their shells, heads removed, deveined
- approx. 500 g mussels
- 1 small fennel bulb
- 1 leek
- approx. 100 g celeriac
- 2 carrots
- 3 onions
- plenty of garlic
- 5 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- a few saffron threads (soaked in hot water)
- at least 200 ml dry white wine
- at least 50 ml each of pastis and dry vermouth (Noilly Prat)
- 1 to 1.5 litres of fish stock
- 1 bouquet garni (a bundle of herbs comprising thyme, parsley and 1 bay leaf)
- 1 baguette
- 1 tin of peeled and chopped tomatoes
- Salt and pepper, freshly ground
- 1 portion of rouille sauce
- 50 to 100 g Parmesan or Gruyère, grated
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Bouillabaisse isn’t a quick fix on board, but that’s precisely what makes it so appealing: good ingredients, a bit of patience, and a dish that embodies the true spirit of the local area and harbour culture. Would you cook something like this on a sailing trip, or do you find it too time-consuming on board? Let us know in the comments.