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Fresh fish from a fishmonger you trust, simmered gently in a saffron and tomato broth fragrant with fennel and orange, served with a fiery rouille and bread to soak up every drop.
This is the dish I think of when I remember that meal in Brittany. The fisherman brought the catch that morning. The cook did almost nothing to it. She simmered the fish in a broth scented with saffron and fennel, ladled it into deep bowls, and set out a pot of rouille and good bread. The diners applauded.
A proper fish stew begins at the market. You need fish that was swimming yesterday, fish with clear eyes and flesh that springs back when you press it. Talk to your fishmonger. Tell them what you are making. They will guide you toward what is freshest, what will hold together in a broth, what will give you the best flavor for your money.
The technique here is simple. You build a fragrant base of fennel, tomatoes, and saffron. You add good fish stock, preferably one you have made yourself from bones and heads. Then you slip in the fish and let the broth do the work. The fish poaches gently, absorbing the saffron and releasing its own essence into the liquid. Do not rush this. Do not stir too much. Let things taste of what they are.
The rouille is essential. This garlicky, saffron-tinted sauce spread on crusty bread and floated in the broth transforms each spoonful. Make it by hand with a mortar and pestle if you have one. The texture is better, and there is something right about the labor.
Quantity
2 pounds
cut into 2-inch pieces
Quantity
1 pound
scrubbed and debearded
Quantity
1/4 cup
Quantity
1 large
trimmed and thinly sliced, fronds reserved
Quantity
1 large
diced
Quantity
4
minced
Quantity
1 can (14 ounces)
crushed by hand
Quantity
1 cup
Quantity
6 cups
Quantity
1/2 teaspoon
Quantity
2 strips, about 3 inches each
Quantity
2 sprigs
Quantity
1
Quantity
1/4 teaspoon
Quantity
to taste
Quantity
2 tablespoons
Quantity
for serving
chopped
Quantity
for serving
Quantity
4
Quantity
1/2 teaspoon
Quantity
pinch
Quantity
1 slice
crust removed, soaked and squeezed dry
Quantity
1 large
at room temperature
Quantity
1/4 teaspoon
Quantity
3/4 cup
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| mixed firm white fishcut into 2-inch pieces | 2 pounds |
| mussels or clams (optional)scrubbed and debearded | 1 pound |
| extra-virgin olive oil | 1/4 cup |
| fennel bulbtrimmed and thinly sliced, fronds reserved | 1 large |
| yellow oniondiced | 1 large |
| garlic clovesminced | 4 |
| whole San Marzano tomatoescrushed by hand | 1 can (14 ounces) |
| dry white wine | 1 cup |
| fish stock | 6 cups |
| saffron threads | 1/2 teaspoon |
| orange zest strips | 2 strips, about 3 inches each |
| fresh thyme | 2 sprigs |
| bay leaf | 1 |
| red pepper flakes | 1/4 teaspoon |
| fine sea salt | to taste |
| Pernod or Pastis (optional) | 2 tablespoons |
| fresh flat-leaf parsleychopped | for serving |
| crusty bread | for serving |
| garlic cloves (for rouille) | 4 |
| fine sea salt (for rouille) | 1/2 teaspoon |
| saffron threads (for rouille) | pinch |
| day-old bread (for rouille)crust removed, soaked and squeezed dry | 1 slice |
| egg yolkat room temperature | 1 large |
| cayenne pepper | 1/4 teaspoon |
| extra-virgin olive oil (for rouille) | 3/4 cup |
Begin with the rouille so the flavors have time to marry. In a mortar, pound the garlic with the salt until you have a smooth paste. Add the saffron and pound again. Add the soaked bread and egg yolk, working everything into a thick paste. Now add the oil drop by drop, stirring constantly with the pestle, just as you would build a mayonnaise. When the sauce begins to thicken and emulsify, you can add the oil in a thin stream. Stir in the cayenne. Taste. The rouille should be pungent with garlic, golden from saffron, and have enough heat to wake you up. Cover and set aside.
Warm the olive oil in a large, heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the fennel and onion. Cook slowly, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent but not browned, about twelve minutes. The fennel will become sweet and fragrant, releasing its anise perfume. Add the garlic and cook one minute more until you smell it.
Pour in the crushed tomatoes and white wine. Let this simmer for five minutes, scraping up any bits from the bottom of the pot. The wine will reduce slightly and the raw alcohol smell will burn off, leaving only brightness.
Add the fish stock, saffron threads, orange zest, thyme, bay leaf, and red pepper flakes. Bring to a gentle simmer. Let the broth cook uncovered for twenty minutes. The saffron will bloom, turning the liquid a deep gold, and the flavors will concentrate. Taste and add salt as needed. The broth should taste alive, like the sea and the garden met.
Remove the thyme sprigs, bay leaf, and orange zest. Season the fish pieces with salt. Gently lower them into the simmering broth, spacing them so they are not crowded. If using mussels or clams, add them now, hinge side down. Cover and cook gently for eight to ten minutes. Do not stir. The fish is done when it flakes easily and the shellfish have opened. Discard any that remain closed.
Remove the pot from heat. If using Pernod, add it now. It will send up a wave of anise that smells like Marseille in summer. Ladle the stew into warmed bowls, dividing the fish and shellfish evenly. Scatter parsley over each bowl. Serve immediately with crusty bread and the rouille. Show your guests how to spread the rouille on bread, float it in the broth, and let it melt into the liquid.
1 serving (about 480g)
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