Marjorie Taylor, Kendall Smith Franchini

Fisherman’s Stew

Name: Fisherman’s Stew
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: ¼ cup (60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil; 2 medium yellow onions, chopped; 4 medium carrots, peeled and cut into ½-inch (12-mm) pieces; 2 leeks, white and pale-green parts only, halved lengthwise, cut crosswise into ½-inch (2.5-cm) half moons, and cleaned (see Cleaning Leeks); 2 leeks, white and pale-green parts only, halved lengthwise, cut crosswise into ½-inch (2.5-cm) half moons, and cleaned (see Cleaning Leeks); 3 small fennel bulbs, tough outer layer removed, cored and roughly chopped; ½ teaspoon black peppercorns; ½ teaspoon coriander seeds; ½ teaspoon fennel seeds; 3 pounds (1.4 kg) firm white-fleshed fish, such as rouget (red mullet), vivaneau rouge (red snapper), dorade grise (sea bream), bar (bass), or other non-oily fish, cleaned, scaled, and filleted, all heads and bones reserved for the fumet and rinsed; 3 pounds (1.4 kg) firm white-fleshed fish, such as rouget (red mullet), vivaneau rouge (red snapper), dorade grise (sea bream), bar (bass), or other non-oily fish, cleaned, scaled, and filleted, all heads and bones reserved for the fumet and rinsed; 3 pounds (1.4 kg) firm white-fleshed fish, such as rouget (red mullet), vivaneau rouge (red snapper), dorade grise (sea bream), bar (bass), or other non-oily fish, cleaned, scaled, and filleted, all heads and bones reserved for the fumet and rinsed; 3 pounds (1.4 kg) firm white-fleshed fish, such as rouget (red mullet), vivaneau rouge (red snapper), dorade grise (sea bream), bar (bass), or other non-oily fish, cleaned, scaled, and filleted, all heads and bones reserved for the fumet and rinsed; 3 pounds (1.4 kg) firm white-fleshed fish, such as rouget (red mullet), vivaneau rouge (red snapper), dorade grise (sea bream), bar (bass), or other non-oily fish, cleaned, scaled, and filleted, all heads and bones reserved for the fumet and rinsed; 3 pounds (1.4 kg) firm white-fleshed fish, such as rouget (red mullet), vivaneau rouge (red snapper), dorade grise (sea bream), bar (bass), or other non-oily fish, cleaned, scaled, and filleted, all heads and bones reserved for the fumet and rinsed; 3 pounds (1.4 kg) firm white-fleshed fish, such as rouget (red mullet), vivaneau rouge (red snapper), dorade grise (sea bream), bar (bass), or other non-oily fish, cleaned, scaled, and filleted, all heads and bones reserved for the fumet and rinsed; 3 pounds (1.4 kg) firm white-fleshed fish, such as rouget (red mullet), vivaneau rouge (red snapper), dorade grise (sea bream), bar (bass), or other non-oily fish, cleaned, scaled, and filleted, all heads and bones reserved for the fumet and rinsed; 3 pounds (1.4 kg) firm white-fleshed fish, such as rouget (red mullet), vivaneau rouge (red snapper), dorade grise (sea bream), bar (bass), or other non-oily fish, cleaned, scaled, and filleted, all heads and bones reserved for the fumet and rinsed; 3 pounds (1.4 kg) firm white-fleshed fish, such as rouget (red mullet), vivaneau rouge (red snapper), dorade grise (sea bream), bar (bass), or other non-oily fish, cleaned, scaled, and filleted, all heads and bones reserved for the fumet and rinsed; 1 (28-ounce / 480-g) jar high-quality Italian whole peeled tomatoes, drained (juices reserved) and crushed; 2 cups (480 ml) dry white wine, such as Burgundy Chardonnay; 2 cups (480 ml) dry white wine, such as Burgundy Chardonnay; Splash Pernod pastis; 3 strips orange zest (from 1 navel or Valencia orange), white pith scraped off; 3 strips orange zest (from 1 navel or Valencia orange), white pith scraped off; 3 strips orange zest (from 1 navel or Valencia orange), white pith scraped off; 1 bouquet garni (see Making a Bouquet Garni); 3 tablespoons tomato paste; Pinch saffron threads; 2 cloves garlic, smashed (see Using Garlic)

Preparation info

Serves
8

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

French at Heart

By Marjorie Taylor and Kendall Smith Franchini

Published 2025

About

Our fisherman’s stew is a new take on a bouillabaisse from the south of France. Historically, bouillabaisse was really more of a peasant dish and a way for fishermen to turn a variety of their leftover catches from the day into a family meal. It’s always made with a fish called rascasse, a spiny bottom-dweller that’s quite hard to find outside southern France, which means, ironically, bouillabaisse has become a more luxurious dish, because its main ingredient is difficult to s

Ingredients

Europe
France
Fish course
Pescatarian
Christmas

Ingredients

Method