Bouillabaisse

Name: Bouillabaisse
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 40 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 2 lb mixed firm white fish fillets (monkfish, sea bass, snapper), cut into chunks; 1 lb mussels, scrubbed and debearded; 1 large onion, sliced; 2 leeks, white parts, sliced; 2 ripe tomatoes, chopped; 4 cloves garlic, minced; 1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced; 1 pinch saffron threads; 1 strip orange zest; 4 tbsp olive oil; 1 ½ qt fish stock; 1 baguette, sliced and toasted; ½ cup rouille, for serving

Bouillabaisse is Marseille’s great saffron-scented fish stew, built on tomatoes, fennel, leeks, and orange zest with several kinds of firm white fish and mussels.

⏱ 30 minPrep time

🔥 40 minCook time

🍽 6Servings

🏷 French KitchenCategory

☆☆☆☆☆No ratings yet

Bouillabaisse is Marseille’s great saffron-scented fish stew, built on tomatoes, fennel, leeks, and orange zest with several kinds of firm white fish and mussels. The broth is the soul of the dish, perfumed with garlic and Provençal sunshine.

Served with toasted baguette slices and a spoonful of fiery rouille, it is a meal in itself, traditionally enjoyed as two courses: broth and bread first, then the fish. Gather friends — this is food meant to be shared from a big pot.

French recipes →

Step by stepInstructions

Warm the olive oil in a large pot and soften the onion, leeks, fennel, and garlic for 8 minutes.
Add the tomatoes, saffron, and orange zest and cook 5 minutes more.
Pour in the fish stock, bring to a boil, and simmer 20 minutes.
Add the fish chunks and simmer 5 minutes, until just cooked through.
Add the mussels and cook until they open; discard any that stay closed.
Ladle over toasted baguette slices and serve with rouille smeared on the bread.

💡 Chef tips & storage

Use at least three kinds of firm white fish for the classic layered flavor. Serve the broth and bread first, then the fish, the traditional two-course way.

Recipe details

Prep30 min

Cook40 min

Servings6

CategoryFrench Kitchen

PublishedAugust 17, 2026

Hi, I'm Emily 🧡

Hi, I'm Emily — the cook behind My Comfort Recipes. Simple, tested comfort food for real weeknights, written down the way grandma would. Pull up a chair. More about me →

Bouillabaisse

Step by stepInstructions

💡 Chef tips & storage

Rate this recipe

Recipe details

Hi, I'm Emily 🧡

Log In

Get free recipes every week

Bouillabaisse

Step by stepInstructions

💡 Chef tips & storage

Rate this recipe

Recipe details

Hi, I'm Emily 🧡

Join the conversation

Keep browsingYou might also like

Tarte Flambée

Macarons

Tarte Tatin

Log In