Bouillabaisse

Bouillabaisse is a classic French seafood soup with an enchantingly complex broth. That being said, it's simpler to make at home than you might think.

By
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise founded Simply Recipes in 2003 and led the site until 2019. She has an MA in Food Research from Stanford University.
Learn about Simply Recipes' Editorial Process
Updated March 21, 2024
Elise Bauer

Bouillabaisse is a classic French dish from southern France, in particular, of the port town Marseille. It requires many different varieties of fish, and traditionally was made with whatever the fishermen hadn't sold that morning.

There are plenty of variations of bouillabaisse, and even in Marseille you'll find strong debates over the proper way to make it.

The most important thing is that you should use several varieties of fish, and the fish should be very fresh. In Provence you would use a variety of Mediterranean fish, but here in the states where we can't get those fish fresh, we have to make substitutions.

The distinctive flavors of a bouillabaisse broth include saffron, which also gives it its orange color, orange zest, and fennel.

Overhead view of a bowl of bouillabaise and sliced bread.
Sally Vargas

Which Fish Are Used in Bouillabaisse?

Use firm fish for fillets such as sea bass, red mullet, haddock, halibut, cod, conger, or red porgy. Small whole fish can be added as well. Also traditional are mussels, squid, and crab.

Overhead view of a pot of bouillabaisse and bread.
Sally Vargas

Make-Ahead Bouillabaisse Strategies

It's best to cook the seafood for bouillabaisse just prior to serving, but you can prepare other parts of the recipe ahead of time. Make the sauce rouille in Step 1 and cook the vegetables and aromatics in Steps 2 and 3 up to two days ahead of time, keeping them refrigerated in airtight containers.

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From the Editors Of Simply Recipes

Bouillabaisse

Prep Time 20 mins
Cook Time 60 mins
Total Time 80 mins
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients

Sauce Rouille:

  • 1 tablespoon hot fish stock or clam broth

  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled

  • 1 small red hot pepper

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • 1/4 cup soft white bread, pulled into bits

  • 1/2 cup olive oil

Bouillabaisse:

  • 3 pounds of at least 3 different kinds of fish fillets (such as sea bass, red mullet, haddock, halibut, cod, conger, or red porgy), cut into 2-inch pieces

  • 1 pound mussels or clams

  • 1 pound squid or crab

  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

  • 1 cup onions, thinly sliced

  • 2 leeks, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced

  • 1/4 fennel bulb, thinly sliced, or 1 teaspoon fennel seeds

  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed

  • 3 large tomatoes, roughly chopped

  • 1 bay leaf

  • 3 sprigs fresh thyme

  • 1/2 teaspoon saffron threads

  • 2 teaspoons salt

  • 1 long, wide strip orange zest

  • 1 cup clam juice or fish stock

  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  • Sliced rustic French bread, plain or toasted

Method

  1. Make the sauce rouille:

    Put the hot fish stock or clam broth into the bottom of a blender. Add the garlic and red hot pepper, salt and bread. Blend until very smooth. With the blender still running, add olive oil slowly and stop the blending as soon as the oil disappears. Set aside.

  2. Cook the onions, leeks, and fennel:

    Heat 1/4 cup of olive oil in a large (6 to 8 quart) pot on medium high heat. When the oil is hot, add the onions, leeks, and fennel. Stir to coat the vegetables with the olive oil. Cook on medium heat until softened but not browned, about 10 to 15 minutes.

    Sauteeing aromatics in a stockpot for a bouillabaise recipe.
    Sally Vargas
  3. Add the garlic, tomatoes, salt, and aromatics:

    Add the crushed garlic, chopped tomatoes, bay leaf, thyme, saffron, salt, and orange zest.

    Cook until the tomatoes are soft and broken down, about 10 more minutes.

    Making the base for a bouillabaisse recipe.
    Sally Vargas
  4. Add the fish:

    Bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Lay the fish pieces over the vegetable mixture and pour over with 2 cups of boiling water. Add clam juice or fish stock. Bring everything to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook, uncovered, for about 5 minutes.

    Adding fish to a stock pot for a bouillabaisse recipe.
    Sally Vargas
  5. Add the shellfish:

    Add the mussels, squid, and/or crab, pushing aside the fish so that the shellfish is now covered in liquid, and simmer for 10 minutes more, uncovered.

    Add freshly ground black pepper, and more salt to taste. Remove the bay leaves, thyme sprigs, and orange zest from the broth.

    Adding seafood to a stock pot for a bouillabaisse recipe.
    Sally Vargas
  6. Serve with bread and rouille:

    To serve, remove the fish and shellfish to a platter to keep warm. Place a thick slice of crusty French bread (plain or lightly toasted) in each bowl and put a dollop of the rouille sauce on top of the bread.

    Ladle the soup broth over the bread, and then portion out fish and shellfish onto the bowls.

    Did you enjoy this recipe? Let us know with a rating and review!

    A piece of bread with rouille sauce on a white plate.
    Sally Vargas
    A place setting of seafood bouillabaisse, rouille sauce, and bread.
    Sally Vargas
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
964 Calories
40g Fat
55g Carbs
98g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6
Amount per serving
Calories 964
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 40g 51%
Saturated Fat 7g 36%
Cholesterol 349mg 116%
Sodium 1821mg 79%
Total Carbohydrate 55g 20%
Dietary Fiber 4g 15%
Total Sugars 8g
Protein 98g
Vitamin C 45mg 223%
Calcium 171mg 13%
Iron 11mg 63%
Potassium 1758mg 37%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.