Bouillabaisse with Rouille

This classic Provencal dish, is a particular specialty of Marseilles but is made right along the French Mediterranean coast and every cook has his or her own fish preferences though rascasse, the red scorpion fish is apparently the common denominator. I suggest you choose a good mix of local fish.

2 onions
1 fennel bulb
4 cloves garlic
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 can chopped tomatoes
4 fresh tomatoes, cored and quartered
a generous pinch of saffron
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 litre stock (fish stock or chicken stock)
thin strips of orange (or lemon) peel
1kg firm fish, cut into chunks
250g good marinara mix or shelled and deveined prawns
1kg mussels, scrubbed and bearded
finely chopped parsley
bread (French bread, Turkish bread, ciabatta)

Roughly dice the onions and fennel and crush the garlic. Heat the oil and add these three ingredients to the pan and cook gently for about 8 minutes. Add the fresh and canned tomatoes, the tomato paste, stock, saffron  and peel. Bring to the boil, turn back the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove a ladle of the stock for the rouille.

The recipe can be prepared to this stage and completed later if required.

Add the fish, prawns or marinara mix and the mussels. Cover and simmer gently until the mussels open. Discard any mussels that fail to open.

Serve in bowls with hot bread and accompany with a bowl of rouille to add to the soup. The rouille is also nice spread on the bread as well!

Rouille

2 teaspoons chilli paste
3 large cloves garlic
1 teaspoon coarse salt
4 slices white bread, crusts removed
a ladle of soup
1 teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon good mustard
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup olive oil
1-2 tablespoons lemon juice (optional)

Pound the chilli paste, peeled garlic and salt in a mortar. Tear up the bread and soak it in the stock, mashing it with a fork. Place in a small food processor and add the garlic mixture, the mustard and paprika and process briefly then add the yolks and process till smooth then, with the motor still running, gradually add the oil is a thin steady stream until the mixture becomes thick. Add the lemon juice if you wish to use it and process briefly just to mix.. Spoon into a serving bowl.