Always in the search of a dish which embodies the soul charm and history of people and a place, I find myself in Marseille on the Côte d’Azur in the south of France in a region known as Provence. The excuse is to find the best Bouillabaisse (pronounced ‘boo-ya-bes’), a fish stew for which this city is famous. Bouillabaisse is something I dream about. It invariably comes up when I think about ‘And God created woman”, that marvelous French film of the ’50s with the sublimely seductive young Brigitte Bardot strutting around St Tropez.
Marseille has in recent years been on a rampage to change their somewhat seedy image, renovating and rebuilding old docks and heritage buildings and opening new hotels and restaurants. It is the second largest city of France and now considered one of France’s most exciting gourmet capitals. Marseille is a mini Paris by the sea, a softer more laid back version with grand boulevards, an Arc de Triomphe and people who are happy to talk to strangers. I check into my hotel in the 6th arrondissement. C2 is a 19th century mansion which belonged to a wealthy Greek family. Impeccably restored with a swirling grand staircase, stucco mouldings and painted ceilings, it has cutting edge contemporary furniture by well-known designers and is the perfect place to get a real feel of this city in a short time. It even has a cavernous underground heated pool and spa. I look out from the balcony on the fourth floor where the stunning sunlight washes over the buildings. This soon transforms in to a pink sunset over Notre Dame de la Garde (a neo Byzantine styled Basilica which locals believe protects the city). I begin to understand what painters and photographers refer to when they talk about the ‘light’ in the south of France.
The next morning, I trot off at 6 am (which is when fish markets the world over start bustling) to the picturesque Old Port in search of phase one of my search for the perfect bouillabaisse – the fish. There’s no one in sight. The waiters at the nearby café, pastis still on their breaths from the night before, inform me that the fisher folk arrive only at 10 am! I go back later to find a sprinkling of fishermen and women under the sun shelter. This is no tourist trap but a lively little market with colourful characters. The word ‘bouillabaisse’, they tell me, means “to boil” and to “lower the heat”. So, as soon as the soup boils, you must lower the heat. It was a poor man’s fish stew made from fish nobody wanted – bony, often small and ugly but full of flavour because they come from the rocks, reefs and calanques (mini fiords) on this part of the coastline. I have found similar fish in markets in Pune during the monsoon especially when the big sea catch give way to the smaller, often tastier fish found in rivers, reefs and mud flats. There is much written about the ingredients that go into a bouillabaisse but I am reliably informed that all it takes is good olive oil, tomatoes, orange zest, saffron and fennel. The stock or ‘fumet’ is reduced and sieved and the fish is then added. Most restaurants in Marseille serve the fish, filleted at the table, and the soup or consommé separately with rouille, a mayonnaise made with dried chilli and a garlicky mayonnaise known as aioli, on the side.
So here’s my version of Bouillabaisse made with locally bought fish.
Bouillabaisse a l’Indienne (my version of the recipe by French Chef Raymond Blanc)
Ingredients
5 fish (total weight should be about 3 kg) – (can be two of each of the small ones) cleaned filleted, bones reserved and chopped
(choose from – Rohu or lake carp, palu or lake perch, kane or lady fish, mangrove red snapper -tamoshi, pearl spot or karimeen found in the backwaters of Kerala, gobro or reef cod, Kolkata bekti ; Veleu -a small silver fish; chonuk or sea bass)
For the fish
3 tbsp olive oil
Pinch saffron
5 garlic cloves, peeled, bruised
5 sprigs fresh thyme (or 2 tbsp dried)
2 pinches black pepper
For the soup
2 tbsp olive oil
1onion, peeled, roughly chopped
1 carrot, peeled, thickly sliced
1 fennel bulb, thickly sliced
3 sprigs fresh thyme
2 fresh bay leaves
6 garlic cloves, peeled, roughly chopped
3 ripe tomatoes, chopped or ½ jar of Pune Farmers’ Market Arrabiata sauce
½ tsp saffron
1 glass white wine
600ml water
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Pastis, to taste
Method
For the fish, place the fillet pieces and the olive oil, saffron powder, garlic and thyme in a bowl and season with black pepper. Cover and marinate in the fridge for 2 hours.
For the soup, heat a large handi over a medium heat. Add the olive oil, onion, carrot and fennel and fry for 4-5 minutes, or until softened but not coloured. Add the thyme, bay leaf, garlic and tomatoes or Arrabiata sauce, stir well and continue to cook for 1-2 minutes. Stir in the saffron, then pour in the white wine. Add the fish bones to the mixture and continue to cook for 1-2 minutes. Pour over the water to cover the bones. Bring the water to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 20 mins. Season to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Skim the surface of the mixture regularly.
When the fish soup mixture has thickened, blend ladlefuls of the mixture in a mixer, in batches, for 5-10 seconds. Strain each batch of blended soup through a fine sieve. When you’re ready to serve, heat the strained soup over a medium heat and poach the marinated fish pieces in the soup until the fish is cooked through. Add a dash of pastis (Anis drink) as you warm the soup. Season, to taste, with salt, freshly ground black pepper and mild Kashmiri chilli powder.
To serve, ladle the fish soup into 4 large serving bowls. Serve with croutons or boiled potatoes.
Food Guru Karen Anand is one of India’s best known food and travel writers. Based in Pune, Karen has over the last 25 years also overseen the production of gourmet products. She is also founder of the popular Farmers’ Market which now runs in seven Indian cities. Indulge will appear every other Saturday on Pune365.
- Indulge by Karen Anand: Ooh la la! - August 6, 2016
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- Indulge with Karen Anand: In Search of the Perfect Bouillabaisse - June 25, 2016
