Bouillabaisse

3 garlic cloves

5 tablespoons olive oil

100 g (3½oz) leeks (white part only), chopped

100 g (3½oz) onions, chopped

250 g (9oz) tomatoes, skinned, de-seeded and chopped

Salt and pepper

1 handful of mixed herbs, such as flat-leaf parsley and fennel

1 bay leaf

1 pinch of saffron threads

2.5 kg (4½lb) fish fillets, such as whiting, weever, conger eel, monkfish, red scorpion fish, gurnard, red mullet or John Dory

1 kg (2¼lb) crustaceans, such as langoustines and spiny lobsters

1 litre (1¾pints) (4 cups) mussels, cleaned

Slices of bread, for toasting

For the rouille

2 garlic cloves

3 small hot peppers, de-seeded

2 egg yolks

300 ml (½ pint) (1¼ cups) olive oil

Crush 2 of the garlic cloves.

In a large pan, heat the oil and fry the leeks, onions, tomatoes, and crushed garlic. Season with salt and pepper, and add the herbs and saffron.

Slice the thicker fish (such as conger eel, weever and monkfish) and add to the pan along with the crustaceans.

Cover with 250ml (8fl oz) water per person. Rapidly bring to the boil and cook for 7 minutes.

Add the more delicate fish. Continue to cook over a high heat for a further 8 minutes, adding the mussels 3 minutes before serving.

Meanwhile, make the rouille. Pound the garlic and pepper to a paste with a pestle and mortar, add the egg yolks and season with salt.

Add the olive oil gradually, stirring constantly, until thick and smooth. Add 1 tablespoon of the cooking liquid and set aside.

Check the seasoning of the bouillabaisse and add more salt and pepper if necessary.

Toast the bread and rub it with the remaining garlic clove.

Put the garlic toast in a soup tureen, and pour the fish cooking juices over.

Serve the fish, crustaceans and mussels separately on a serving dish, accompanied by the rouille.

Preparation time:
25 minutes

Cooking time:
20 minutes

Serves 6