Name: Martigues Bouillabaisse
Prep time: 1 h
Cook time: 40 min
Yield: 8 people
Cuisine: Provence
Ingredients: 8 pods ofgarlic; 3,2 kg offish (For example, scorpionfish, conger eel, John Dory, gurnard, weever, red mullet, whiting... Allow 400 grams per person); 4-6 squid (small); 1-2 crab; 16 potatoes (not too big); 5-6 tomatoes (peeled, crushed); 4 onions; 2 glasses ofolive oil; 3 pods ofsaffron (in powder form); 1 bouquet ofparsley; 3,5 l ofwater (Allow 1.5 liters for 4 people, 2.5 liters for 6. You can substitute some of the water with fish broth.); salt and pepper; 2-3 bread (flutes); 2 pods ofgarlic; 2 Cayenne peppers; 1 nuts ofslice of bread (soaked in water and squeezed); 2 tbsp ofolive oil; 2 glasses ofbouillabaisse broth

main courses pisces slow cooking traditional cuisine

Updated on 14 April 2025 by

toquetoque

7 reviews 5 : Delicious

Cuisine

Provence

Diet

Vegetarian Fish

Level

Intermediate

Preparation

1 hour

Cooking

40 minutes

Wait

1 hour

Here is the recipe for traditional bouillabaisse, as it is prepared and enjoyed in the Marseille region.

Bouillabaisse (from the Provençal Occitan word bolhabaissa, derived from bolh, “to boil,” and abaissar, “to lower,” referring to the heat) is, so to speak, a fish stew. It first appeared in France when the Greeks founded what is now Marseille, around 600 B.C. In other words, it’s a truly traditional dish!

Paradoxically, bouillabaisse was at the time a dish of the poor, prepared by fishermen working between Marseille and Toulon. Upon returning from their fishing trips, they would heat a cauldron filled with seawater in which they cooked unsold or unsellable fish. They would then pour this broth over garlic-rubbed bread croutons and enjoy the fish separately, with a garlic mayonnaise seasoned with varying amounts of saffron—the famous rouille.

The best bouillabaisse I’ve ever eaten comes from a childhood friend from my hometown of Martigues, from whom I got this recipe. If you know a good fishmonger, go ahead and place an order with them, because it’s not easy to get the various fish and shellfish that go into it if you don’t live near the coast. Enjoy, and feel free to leave your comments here…

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For the Bouillabaisse
8 pods of garlic
3,2 kg of fish For example, scorpionfish, conger eel, John Dory, gurnard, weever, red mullet, whiting... Allow 400 grams per person
4-6 squid small
1-2 crab
16 potatoes not too big
5-6 tomatoes peeled, crushed
4 onions
2 glasses of olive oil
3 pods of saffron in powder form
1 bouquet of parsley
3,5 l of water Allow 1.5 liters for 4 people, 2.5 liters for 6. You can substitute some of the water with fish broth.
salt and pepper
2-3 bread flutes

For La Rouille
2 pods of garlic
2 Cayenne peppers
1 nuts of slice of bread soaked in water and squeezed
2 tbsp of olive oil
2 glasses of bouillabaisse broth

Bouillabaisse
- 1
  Slice the onions into rings, crush the garlic cloves (set aside three for later), and sauté them in a little olive oil along with the tomatoes. Stir constantly to prevent burning.
- 2
  Add the liquid (water and fish stock), the potatoes cut into slices (between 0.5 cm and 1 cm thick), 2 to 3 whole garlic cloves, and 1 whole onion.
- 3
  Cook for 25 minutes, then season with salt and pepper.
- 4
  Add the saffron and parsley. Let cool.
- 5
  Once the mixture has cooled, add the fish so they can marinate in the liquid. Place the firmer varieties (conger eel, white scorpionfish, gurnard) at the bottom and the more delicate ones (bream, scorpionfish, gurnard) on top.
- 6
  Let it marinate for at least one hour, basting occasionally with the juices if necessary.Meanwhile, prepare the rouille.
- 7
  Bring everything to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat and let it simmer vigorously for about 10 minutes.
- 8
  Cut the bread into slices about 1 cm thick and toast them. Just before serving, drizzle them with the bouillabaisse broth.
Rust
- 9
  Finely grind the garlic cloves, chili peppers, and bread crumbs in a mortar until you have a smooth paste.
- 10
  Blend everything well and gradually add the olive oil, stirring constantly, just as you would for aioli.
- 11
  Add the broth, stirring constantly. If necessary, you can thicken the sauce with a mashed potato from the bouillabaisse.