Ingredients
Serves 4-61 Australian Salmon, cleaned (head removed but retained for stock) and chopped into 4 pieces
1 kg white fish fillets (bream, flathead, whiting), chopped roughly
400gr mussels
Olive oil
2 onions, chopped
6 cloves garlic, chopped
2 leeks, chopped
1 bulb fennel, tops reserved, chopped
1 large can chopped tomatoes
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 small bunch parsley, chopped
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
Peel of half an orange, pith removed
500ml fish stock
2 litres water
1 tsp saffron threads
2 tsp salt
8 slices baguette, grilled and spread thickly with Rouille
Rouille:
3 cloves garlic, chopped roughly
1 medium chilli, roughly chopped
1 large capsicum
½ tsp smoked paprika
180ml olive oil
2 tbsp fresh white breadcrumbs
Salt and pepper to taste
Method
Grill the capsicum until blackened. When cool enough to handle peel and cut into pieces. Place all ingredients except oil into a food processor and puree to a smooth paste. With the motor running, add the oil in a thin stream until well combined. Spread thickly onto baguette.
In a large saucepan or soup pot, heat olive oil and fry the garlic, onion, leek and fennel until soft but not browned. Add tomatoes, fennel seeds, tomato puree, salmon head, and herbs. Add the zest, fish stock, water and saffron. Bring to the boil and simmer gently for 20 minutes.
Remove from heat and strain into a clean pot, discarding solids. Return to a simmer, add salmon pieces and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add mussels and white fish pieces and simmer until mussels have opened and fish is cooked. This shouldn?t take much more than 3-5 minutes.
Places 2 slices of the baguette spread with rouille into the bottom of 4 large serving bowls. Divide fish and mussels evenly among the bowls and fill with soup. Top with a dollop of Rouille and some finely chopped fennel leaves and serve immediately. Serve extra bread on the side.
If you prefer, the bread can be served on the side and not in the base of the bowl.
Notes
Traditionally, many kinds of seafood and fish are served in a bouillabaisse. Because we are using sustainable fish and I want to show that this dish is not impossible to make at home, I have only used a couple. You are limited only by your imagination!