Julia Child's Classic French Bouillabaisse
Serves 6
25 mins prep
40 mins cook
65 mins total
A simple recipe for Julia Child's bouillabaisse, the classic French seafood soup. The delicious soup with a simple rouille is full of shellfish, seafood, tomatoes and fragrant seasonings and can be made in less than an hour.
Rouille
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For the broth:
Make a broth, fortified with lots of seafood shells and trimmings: Heat the oil in a tall pot (I use an 8 quart stockpot) over medium heat. Add the onion and leek and cook gently until softened. Stir in the garlic and cook for a minute until fragrant, then add the tomatoes, water, herbs, orange peel, saffron, salt and fish bones and shrimp shells. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat so that the broth bubbles slowly without boiling.
Cook 30 minutes, then strain the broth into a large bowl or another pot and discard the solids.
Pour the broth back into the stockpot and bring to a boil. Add the shrimp and cook until they turn pink, a minute or two. Add the rest of the fish and shellfish, cover and simmer until the mussels or clams open (this will just take a few minutes).
Taste the soup and add more salt and freshly ground pepper if needed.
Make the rouille:
Puree the red peppers, cayenne, lemon juice, garlic, breadcrumbs, parsley and salt in a food processor until smooth. Slowly add the olive oil while processing to form a paste.
Toast the bread and brush with olive oil.
Serve the soup with bread and rouille.
