Simple bouillabaisse
A classic French fish soup, perfect for dinner parties. Marcus Wareing’s version is flavoured with smoked paprika, saffron and pastis, an aniseed-flavoured spirit.
For this recipe you will need a stick blender.
Ingredients
- extra virgin olive oil
- ½ brown onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- celery, chopped (including leaves)
- ½ fennel bulb, chopped (including fronds)
- 2 fresh plum tomatoes, chopped
- pinch smoked paprika
- 2 star anise
- pinch saffron
- 1–2 tbsp tomato purée
- 2–3 tbsp pastis (anise and fennel liqueur)
- 1 lemon, juice only
- 175ml/6fl oz white wine
- 300ml/½ pint fish stock
- large handful of mussels (about 8)
- 1 small fillet of salmon, skinned and cut into chunks
- 1 small fillet of hake, skinned and cut into chunks
- bunch fresh parsley
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- bread, to serve
Method
Heat a splash of oil in a frying pan, add the onion and garlic and sauté. Add the celery and fennel and fry until softened. Season with salt and pepper.
Add the tomatoes, smoked paprika, star anise, saffron and tomato purée. Stir and cook for 5–10 minutes to soften.
Add 2 tablespoons pastis and once the mixture has reduced, add one more tablespoon. Add a squeeze of lemon, then pour in 100ml/3½fl oz white wine and cook down. Pour in the stock, cover with a lid and allow to simmer while you cook the mussels.
Put the mussels in a hot saucepan. Add 75ml/2½fl oz wine, cover with a lid and cook. Discard any mussels that do not open. Once cooked, add the mussel cooking liquid to the bouillabaisse base.
Turn off the heat under the bouillabaisse base and remove the star anise. Blend using a stick blender until smooth.
Add the salmon and hake to the blended soup, along with the mussels (some in their shells, some out of their shells for texture). Simmer to poach the fish until cooked. Stir through the parsley.
To serve, ladle into the bowl, being sure to add a piece of hake, salmon and mussels. Pour the soup over the top and drizzle with olive oil to finish.
Recipe Tips
Feel free to vary the fish depending on what's available. It's a good recipe for using up odds and ends that you might have in your freezer.