Marseille Fish Soup
Soupe de Poissons photographed by Francois de Melogue
It won't matter if the sun doesn't come out when you serve this soup,
because it is hotter than the sunshine of the Midi. ~ Roger Verge
Nothing could be more Provençal than to eat a fish soup, whether it's in the form of a bouillabaisse, bourride, or even this simple rustic soup. Marseille fish soup, or soupe de poissons as it's known, is something I crave all the time, the assertive flavors redolent with the very soul of Provence transports me back to the old port of Marseilles where I first tried it many decades ago.
I could always tell which staff members or clients had traveled to the South by the dreamy, far-off look at the very mention of it. It invokes pastis-fueled Marcel Pagnolian dreams of men playing petanque in village squares scented by the sweet garrigue. I once was talking to a movie producer customer of mine who spent a good deal of time working on movie sets around Nice, France. We talked at length about Provence and her food, when he abruptly asked, in an almost childlike soft tone, if I knew how to make fish soup correctly.
Authentic Fish Soup
Author Waverly Root writes at length about his frustrating search for an authentic fish soup in 'the Food of France'. He narrowed it down a version served in Saint Tropez, 65 miles east of Marseilles, largely because the addition of a local chemical-green colored fish. For most of his narrative, finding the elusive fish was maddening "because the mistral had been blowing without a let-up during the whole period. This is supposed to discourage the fish, or at least some of the fish, which do not allow themselves to be caught in weather they feel is unsuitable for the purpose. The effect of the mistral on the fish may be a legend, but the effect on the fishermen was observable. They preferred to stay ashore and play petanque..." Finally on his last day in Saint Tropez he is blessed with not one, but two offerings of soupe de poissons.
Soupe de poissons or soupe aux poissons
Further in Waverly Root's narrative he provides a compelling argument as what should be the correct title. Soupe de poissons implies a soup with fish floating inside. "A dish providing soup and fish is not the genuine article, as the Riviera understands it. In soupe aux poissons, no fish is visible. It is there all right, but it has disappeared into the liquid. The body of the fish has gone. The soul remains. The fish is ground, crushed, pulverized, and then cooked until it has become liquid itself, and the soup is then strained to eliminate any telltale traces of the ingredients that provides its greatness."
Marseille Fish Soup
Marseille fish soup, or soupe de poissons as it is called in the South of France, is something I actually yearn for. The rich, assertive flavors redolent with the very soul of Provence takes me to the old port of Marseille where I first tried it. Nothing could be more Provençal than to eat a fish soup, whether it is bouillabaisse, bourride or a simple one like this. Make a big batch and freeze what you don’t eat. Trust me, you will thank me for this advice.
Soup base
1/2 cup olive oil
2 onions sliced
1/2 bulb fennel chopped
6 cloves garlic mashed
1 hot pepper
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoon saffron
1 Dungeness crab crushed
28 ounce can San Marzano tomatoes
2 pounds fish fillets (see note)
water
¼ cup pastis
Finishing the soup
1 cup rouille
16 croûtons rubbed with garlic
1 cup grated Gruyère
To make the soup base, heat the olive oil in large, heavy gauge pot. Saute the onions and fennel until softened and translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, hot pepper, bay leaf, saffron, and crab. Continue cooking until the pleasant aromas of garlic fill your kitchen and the crab shells begin to turn red, about 5 minutes.
Crush the tomatoes and add along with all their juice, fish fillets and cover with enough cold water to cover by an inch. Bring to boil, then lower to a simmer for 30 minutes.
Strain saving the solids to run through a food mill. The body of the soup comes from what gets passed through the mill and added back to the broth. I pick the harder crab shell out as they tend to get stuck in the food mill.
To Finish the Soup, adjust the seasonings and serve in heated bowls with grated Gruyère, croûtons and rouille on the side.
To Make Rouille
¼ c. large egg yolks
3 garlic cloves
2 large pinches of saffron
1 T. paprika
½ c Sriracha, Red Rooster hot sauce (yes, it is unorthodox but damned good)
2 T. fresh lemon juice
2 c. olive oil
To make the Rouille, puree everything except the olive oil in a food processor. Add oil slowly like you were making mayonnaise or an aioli. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
Notes: make sure to use at least 1 fish with some gelatin in it. I use rockfish from the Pacific Northwest to give the soup the body it needs.