best recipe for bouillabaise

• • For the Broth:
  • 1/2 cup (120ml) extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 large yellow onion (12 ounces; 340g), diced
  • 1 large leek (1 pound; 450g), washed of any grit and diced
  • 1 medium fennel bulb (8 ounces; 225g), cored and diced
  • 5 medium cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1/2 teaspoon whole fennel seeds
  • 2 large pinches saffron threads
  • One (2-inch) strip zest from 1 orange
  • Large pinch cayenne pepper or other red chili powder
  • 2 sprigs thyme
  • 2 tablespoons (30ml) tomato paste
  • 6 plum tomatoes (1 1/4 pounds; 565g), cored, seeded, and diced
  • 2 pounds (900g) whole fish or fish bones and heads (see note)
  • 2 cups (475ml) dry white wine
  • 1/4 cup (60ml) Pernod or pastis (optional)
  • 2 quarts (1.9L) boiling water, or more as needed
  • 2 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • 1 bay leaf
  • Kosher or sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • For the Rouille:
  • 2 medium cloves garlic
  • 1/4 cup crumbled stale bread or panko bread crumbs (1/2 ounce; 15g)
  • Large pinch cayenne pepper or other red chili powder
  • Pinch saffron threads
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • Kosher or sea salt
  • 1/2 cup (120ml) extra-virgin olive oil
  • To Finish:
  • 3 to 5 pounds (1.3 to 2.25kg) mixed whole and/or filleted fish (see note)
  • 1 pound (450g) mussels and/or crabs (optional; see note)
  • Kosher or sea salt
  • Baguette toasts, for serving

How to Make It

• Making bouillabaisse is somewhat similar to making a fish stock, like fumet, in that we cook the fish with aromatics to make a flavorful broth. But the similarities with fumet end there, since the idea with bouillabaisse is to make a creamy, cloudy, dare I say murky broth, not a clean and clear one. This means that unlike with a fumet, for which we cook the fish at the barest simmer to produce a clear stock, bouillabaisse is intentionally boiled hard. We want to emulsify the fish fats into the broth, for a creamier, more complex texture and flavor.
• And speaking of those fats, that’s another area where bouillabaisse differs from a fish stock. In a classic fish stock, we tend to use lean, white-fleshed fish for their delicate, pristine flavor. In bouillabaisse, we use a variety of fish, including oilier ones, because we want their darker, richer flavor.
• The broth in a bouillabaisse isn’t meant to be refined. It should be a little rough around the edges, with a texture that isn’t perfectly smooth and a flavor that is all depth and complexity, not lightness and clarity.