Southern French (Provencal): Bouillabaisse and Salad NicoiseBouillabaisse may well be my all time favorite meal. It is a pure and straightforward preparation yet it still has a certain mystique that separates it from the everyday.
All cuisines with which I am familiar, at least all that were developed with some stretch of seacoast available, have a dish similar to Bouillabaisse (Ex. Italian
Brodetto, or
Cacciucco Livornese, Spanish
Zarzuela, or Greek
Kakavia). Its origin is just like that of the rest, it is a fisherman’s stew based on the very flavorful yet lower in demand products of their efforts. The name tells the story; based on the French terms
bouillir (to boil) and
baisse (waste). Using rock fish common to the Mediterranean, such as scorpion fish, conger eel, St. Peter’s fish, angler fish (
monkfish), sea bream and whiting, French fishermen assembled a flavorful array from what used to be less popular species. Today we recognize the value of these fish; no longer “trash” fish, they have become highly sought after choices, and, as such, have become much more expensive than once upon a time.
Producing a “true” Bouillabaisse requires the use of at least some of these native Mediterranean fin fish as well as an assortment of crustaceans. Can you produce a Bouillabaisse with native species instead? Of course, but you need to re-name the dish to account for the origin of this different version.
Bouillabaisse is traditionally served in its two main components; the fish and crustaceans are removed from the soup and piled high on a platter while the soup is served separately in a tureen. A traditional accompaniment is a toasted crouton topped with rouille, which is a spicy red pepper and saffron laced version of aioli.
