Middle Eastern styled Bouillabaisse

Bouillabaisse.  Classic French, from Marsailles and a very fine dish it is indeed when done correctly.   I love it.

Greg Malouf’s “New Middle Eastern Food” is a gorgeous book, both visually and recipe wise.  His take on Bouillabaisse with a cumin rouille is classic French, with a hint of the middle east, in balance and an example of where east can meet west in the most glorious of ways.

I made the stock from prawn heads rather than crab as is suggested by Malouf.  The stock itself is heady and rich.  Packed full of flavour.  Saffron, fennel seeds, bay leaf, thyme, garlic, onion and those prawn heads, cooked for an hour or two and double strained.  The stuff my dreams are made of.

The rouille from Malouf’s recipe uses a little potato and garlic cooked with some of this stock for thickening (in France they use potato or bread to thicken), chilli, saffron, roasted red capsicum, a good amount of lemon juice and cumin, then blended with olive oil to make a smooth thick emulsion.  Very much a classic rouille other than the cumin.  I didn’t want to load a heap of olive oil into this but it needs something to richen and emulsify and for that, I substituted a whole fresh egg.  It blended beautifully, to the lovely texture a rouille should be and didn’t carry that calorie wallop.  

In Marsaille, originally they used whole fish.  The small fish left over from the days catch This originated as the french version of a fisherman’s stew.  Today in good restaurants the stock will be rich by other means (ie using prawns or crab) and the fish cooked separately so that everything is perfectly cooked, portioned and elegant.

For the seafood component I used the prawns (from the prawn heads) and crispy skinned sea bream.

The was broth reduced and seasoned at the end.   An addition of broad beans (Malouf’s idea) with some finely chopped tomato and fennel.  Then popped in a deep dish, the fish on top so that the crisp skin stays that way.  Served with home made sourdough, the  rouille is spread on the bread and put in the dish and mixed at the table as a last minute seasoning.  AND, the best bit that brought the whole thing alive – a touch of fresh Pernod (Andy’s idea) then topped with a dollop of fish egg roe.  Beautiful.  Absolutely knockout material.  Food heaven for me. 

Rouille, my way - no oil but just as good as the real thing