Pour 10 servings
Ingredients for the soup:
4.5 lb of rock fish (for a less expensive option, you can also use fish heads/bones//shellfish remains), 1 conger eel head, 200g small green shore crabs, 400g onions, 200g leeks (use the white part), 100g fresh fennel, 800g ripe tomatoes, 2 cloves of garlic, fennel seeds, 3 tbsp olive oil, 40g tomato concentrate, 2g saffron, fine salt.
Ingredients for the bouillabaisse:
4 to 5 lb assorted fish (such as whiting, anglerfish, sea bass, scorpion fish, eel, John Dory, langoustine), 2 onions, 2 tomatoes, 2 cloves of garlic, parsley, fennel sec, thyme, 100ml olive oil, salt, pepper, 1 orange peel.
Ingredients for the rouille and the croutons:
1 or 2 cloves of garlic, 3 or 4 chili peppers, 50g sandwich bread, 12 sea urchins, 1 cup olive oil, salt, milk, 2 day-old French loaves.
Preparation of fish: remove the insides from the bigger fish (not necessary for the small ones ), wash, cut up the bigger fish. If possible, start marinating the fish the day before (onions, fennel, garlic, saffron, olive oil, tomatoes). The marinade will then be used as aromatic garnish.
Preparation of the aromatic garnish: peel and wash the onions, the white part of the leeks, the fresh fennel. Chop finely and set aside. Chop the garlic, wash and cut the tomatoes into quarters, set aside.
Cook the fish soup: heat the olive oil, add the leek, fennel and onion and let sweat without browning. Add the crabs and cook until red, add the fish and let sweat 5 to 6 minutes with the aromatic garnish. Add the fresh tomato, the chopped garlic, the tomato concentrate. Let cook for a few minutes. Add 10 cups cold water. Add the fennel seeds and some of the saffron. Season with salt and ground pepper. Boil for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring from time to time. When done, pass through a sieve, pressing well and bring back to a boil, stirring from time to time, then set aside.
Preparation of the croutons: rub the French loaves with one clove of garlic and cut into slices, drizzle with the olive oil and put in oven until toasted. Set aside.
Preparation of the rouille: soak the sandwich bread in milk. With a mortar and pestle, grind the garlic and the chili pepper, add the flesh of the sea urchins. Drain and squeeze the bread and add to mixture. Mix well to obtain a purée. Slowly add the olive oil and mix with the pestle to obtain a mayonnaise consistency. Salt to taste.
Preparation of fish: pare and remove the scales from the fish. In a casserole, bring 12 cups of water to a boil. In another big casserole, put the chopped onion, garlic, peeled, deseeded and chopped tomatoes, the parsley, thyme and fennel, 1 orange peel. Place on it all the fish (except the John Dory if using), add 100ml olive oil. Cover with boiling water and cook over high heat for 5 minutes. Add the John Dory and continue to boil over high heat for another 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Remove fish and arrange on a serving dish.
Spread the rouille on the croutons, place in soup plates and ladle on the soup and finally the fish.
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