Bouillabaisse is yet another fantastic fish dish that is steeped in French tradition, originating as a stew created by the fishermen of Marseille.
When they returned to port after their fishing expeditions, rather than using the more expensive fish intended for market, they cooked the common rockfish and shellfish that they pulled up with their nets and lines. This was placed in a cauldron of water on a wood fire and that was how the bouillabaisse was born.
There are at least three kinds of fish in a traditional bouillabaisse. These are typically red rascasse, sea robin and European conger, but the ingredients can vary depending on the fish available in the area and, of course, the chef’s personal taste. For this recipe I have created a bouillabaisse with a local South African twist for you to enjoy. Bon Appetit.
*For ethical reasons I recommend that you check the South African Sustainable Seafood Initiative (Sassi) list before substituting any fish so you can be sure your fish comes from a sustainable source. You can check the green list here: SASSI.
Serves 6-8
Ingredients
- 1,5 litres of water
- 250g prawns
- 250g kingklip cut into 5 cm wide strips
- 250g yellowtail, deboned, cut into 5 cm wide strips
- 250g black mussels
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp salt
- 250ml Sauvignon Blanc wine
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 leek, white part only, thinly sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, diced
- 4 tomatoes, skins and seeds removed and diced
- 100g fresh fennel, chopped
- 1 tsp fresh thyme
- 1 tsp marjoram
- ½ tsp saffron threads
- ½ tsp ground cayenne pepper
- Whole black peppercorns
- Peel from 1 orange
Instructions:
- Peel the prawns and put the shells to one side.
- Bring the water to a simmer in a saucepan and add the prawn shells, bay leaf, peppercorns and orange peel to the pot and simmer gently for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat the olive oil over medium heat in a heavy bottomed soup pan. Add the onion, leek, chopped fennel and a pinch of salt. Slowly sweat them until tender but not browned (about 20 minutes). Add the garlic and sauté until garlic is tender and fragrant.
- Add the tomato and the wine. Turn up the heat until the wine begins to boil. Cook until wine is reduced by about half.
- Strain the prawns and orange peels from the stock and add the remaining liquid to the onion mixture. Add the thyme, marjoram, saffron and cayenne and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add the kingklip and yellowtail first. About two minutes later add the mussels and in another two minutes add the prawns. Simmer until the prawn is just cooked through – roughly two more minutes.
- Remove from heat and serve immediately with a garnish of fennel and your favourite white wine.
