Not many fish soups have the kind of tradition and history that bouillabaisse has in southern France. We'll show you how to make it.
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00:00From humble beginnings to culinary fame,
00:03Bouillabaisse has a true rags-to-riches story.
00:06In Marseille, in the south of France,
00:09we dug deeper into Bouillabaisse and its cultural significance.
00:13We're going to show you how to prepare it authentically
00:17and how to avoid falling victim to a tourist trap.
00:19And this is the man who's going to show us how to make it,
00:23Mathieu Dugas, the head chef of Chez Fonfon,
00:26a top address in Marseille for Bouillabaisse since 1952.
00:33Bouillabaisse is actually a traditional fisherman's dish.
00:36It was made from fish that no one wanted at the time.
00:40So they kept the unsold fish from their catch
00:43and made a broth with the remaining fish.
00:45The key is the freshness of the fish.
00:49Before he begins, Mathieu heads down to the local port
00:53right outside of the restaurant to see the daily catch.
00:57It's believed that the original humble soup
01:00used not only smaller fish,
01:02but also shellfish that was too bony to sell.
01:07The Bouillabaisse that is made and sold today
01:09is very different from that original recipe.
01:14So here you have the scorpion fish,
01:16the conger eel, the red gurnard,
01:18the tub gurnard and the John Dory.
01:19Why is it important to have these fish?
01:22These fish are found here in the Bay of Marseille
01:24and they give the Bouillabaisse its unique flavor.
01:27They give a smoky and strong flavor
01:29to the bouillon of the Bouillabaisse.
01:33There are other ingredients
01:35that give the soup its distinct flavor.
01:38You have fennel, garlic, onion, tomato and thyme.
01:42For the condiments, we have tomato paste,
01:45fennel seeds, powdered saffron, saffron pistils,
01:48chili pepper, olive oil and coarse salt.
01:51And to deglaze, we have pasties de Provence
01:54and white wine.
01:56And are there alternatives?
01:58In Marseille, we don't mess around with the Bouillabaisse.
02:00There is no alternative.
02:02Bouillabaisse is fish and vegetables.
02:04No other alternative is possible.
02:07What about vegan options?
02:08No vegan option.
02:13It's forbidden.
02:15All the ingredients with the whole batch of fish
02:18are put into the pot to cook for at least three hours.
02:22In 1980, local chefs created a charter
02:25outlining the essential ingredients
02:27for authentic Bouillabaisse.
02:29Chef Enfant was among the signatories.
02:31Many chefs tried to stick to it,
02:32but climate change makes it challenging.
02:36Respecting the charter to the letter is a bit complicated,
02:38but as long as we have the five fish
02:40and follow this cooking process, we're good.
02:44Time to eat.
02:45Like the preparation, the service is very specific.
02:49First, chili and garlic sauce and croutons
02:52accompany the base of the soup.
02:56The fish arrives on a separate plate
02:58and you can choose which parts you want in your soup.
03:02So how does it taste?
03:08Wow, that's very good.
03:11It's very garlicky and spicy, but I like it.
03:17Too much garlic.
03:20But it's good.
03:21Bouillabaisse is not a typical dish one prepares at home
03:24and it costs about 65 euros per person.
03:27Is this a tourist price?
03:30Originally, it was a poor man's dish.
03:32Now it's an exceptional dish.
03:34We have saffron, we have rockfish,
03:35which are quite expensive.
03:36There's a lot of work involved
03:38and we charge the same price for tourists.
03:40We really don't make a difference.
03:41We're really here for the people of Marseille.
03:46I celebrated my 40th birthday last January here
03:48and was completely won over by this bouillabaisse.
03:52So I brought my friend here today
03:53to let her discover it as well.
03:57This is my first bouillabaisse.
03:58Perfect.
03:59Excellent, as always, because it's not the first time.
04:02We come here especially for the bouillabaisse.
04:06We come here to Fonfon just for the bouillabaisse.
04:09Do you make bouillabaisse yourself at home?
04:12Oh no, never.
04:13Too much work.
04:15We have too much work.
04:17So that was all you needed to know about bouillabaisse.
04:20Would you give it a try?
04:21Goodbye!