bouillabaisse — France

Bouillabaisse is a fish stew from the Mediterranean coast of Provence, in the south of France. It combines a saffron-scented broth made from small rockfish with pieces of firmer fish, potatoes, and slices of bread spread with a garlicky, chili-spiked emulsion called rouille. It is reported mainly from the ports of the Provençal coast, where it grew out of the daily catch that fishing families kept back after selling the more valuable fish to market. Small, bony rockfish that were hard to sell on their own — rascasse, grondin, conger eel — became the base of a broth cooked over a wood or charcoal fire near the boats. The broth is made first: rockfish heads and trimmings are simmered with onion, leek, fennel, tomato, garlic, saffron, and a strip of orange zest, then the liquid is strained and pressed through a sieve. Potatoes are cooked in this broth, and pieces of firmer fish are poached in it just before serving, so each ingredient keeps its own texture. The broth and the fish are often brought to the table separately, with toasted bread and rouille on the side. There is no single accepted list of fish for this dish: the choice depends on what the boats bring in, and households and restaurants along the coast disagree on which species belong and whether shellfish should be added. Some cooks serve broth and fish as two courses, others combine everything in one dish, and the amount of saffron or chili in the rouille varies from one kitchen to the next.