Simple Bouillabaisse Recipe (French Seafood Stew)

Brimming with fresh seafood, this simple bouillabaisse recipe is a luxurious French seafood stew that is made in under an hour! A variety of seafood simmers in a rustic tomato stew with aromatic saffron, savory fennel and herbs, it's truly irresistible!

Bouillabaisse is a French seafood stew made with a mixture of succulent seafood that is truly a seafood lover's dream! The tomato based stew simmers with floral saffron, savory leeks and fennel and a hint of citrus to bring all the fresh flavors together.

Made in a fraction of the time than traditional bouillabaisse, this recipe is strongly inspired by Julia Child's bouillabaisse recipe, but kept simple and rustic. A variety of locally sourced Pacific Northwest seafood is layered into the stew so the final product is perfectly tender. Here is a video of the bouillabaisse recipe we made with Bellingham Seafeast.

If you love classic seafood recipes such as cioppino or sole meuniere, add this simple bouillabaisse recipe to your repertoire!

Start any meal with my Goat cheese stuffed phyllo cups it's simple and impressive.

🍅 Recipe Highlights

• Traditionally, French seafood stew takes hours to make, however this simple recipe for bouillabaisse is made in under an hour and kept fresh and rustic.
• Step by step instructions on layering seafood, so you won't have overcooked seafood and everything finishes perfectly cooked.
• Lots of flavors and aromatics, including floral saffron, fennel and leeks, which gives fantastic flavor to the bouillabaisse.

📋 Ingredients

• Leek: When using leeks, make sure to clean between the layers very well. Leeks grow in the ground and can have dirt between the layers. Only use the white and light green parts of the leek.
• Fennel: One of my favorite vegetables, fennel is a delicious compliment to seafood. You can enjoy fennel both in raw forms and sliced in a grilled shrimp salad and sautéed in a seafood stew.
• Tomatoes: Look for vine tomatoes that are deep in color and smell fragrant. If fresh tomatoes aren't available, substitute with a 15 ounce can of diced tomatoes.
• Seafood Stock: Homemade seafood stock can be made in just about 30 minutes. If homemade isn't and option, look for a good quality seafood stock or clam broth.
• Bay Leaf and Thyme: Both of these are aromatics that flavor the tomato and seafood stew. Use a few sprigs of fresh thyme, but if fresh isn't available, add ½ teaspoon of dried thyme.
• Saffron: Also known as the world's more expensive spice, a little goes a long way. Saffron is fantastic in other Mediterranean dishes such as seafood paella and pairs with seafood very well.
• Orange Peel: The addition of citrus is inspired by Julia Child's bouillabaisse. Use a vegetable peeler to peel a strip of orange peel and let it simmer in the stock. The orange zest pairs well with the fennel and seafood and gives the simple bouillabaisse a touch of sweetness.
• Assorted Seafood: This is the time to use the best quality seafood that is available to you! Use a variety of seafood, such as halibut, scallops, clams, mussels and shrimp.

See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

🧅 Substitutions and Variations

• Use fresh and seasonal seafood, such as salmon, cod or rockfish.
• Add a ½ cup of white wine to the stew. Let the wine reduce after adding the tomato paste (step 2 in the instructions).
• Instead of sliced leeks, substitute with 1 whole sliced shallot.
• Homemade seafood stock can be made in nearly 30 minutes, but if homemade isn't available, use store bought.
• Instead of chopping fresh tomatoes, use a 15 ounce can of diced tomatoes.

⏲️ Instructions

Step 1: Melt butter and olive oil in a Dutch oven, add sliced leeks and sliced fennel and saute until softened.

Step 2: Add the chopped garlic and saute for another minute, then add tomato paste and saute for another 1-2 minutes.

Step 3: Add the chopped tomatoes and saffron and saute everything for another 1-2 minutes so the tomatoes begin to soften.

Step 4: Pour the seafood stock in and nestle the fresh thyme, bay leaf and orange peel into the stock. Simmer for 15 minutes so all the flavors come together.

Add the Seafood in Layers

Not all seafood is cooked at the same time. The thicker fish filets, such as halibut will take the longest to cook and the more delicate items, such as shrimp and scallops will take the least. The total cooking time for the seafood will be 10-12 minutes.

Step 5: Add the halibut to the stew and simmer for 3-4 minutes.

Step 6: Add the mussels and clams into the simmering stew, placing the pointy ends into the liquid and continue simmering for 3-4 minutes.

Step 7: Nestle the scallops into the stew and continue cooking for another 2 minutes.

Step 8: Finally, add the shrimp and finish cooking for another 2-3 minutes, until the shrimp are pink and mussels and clams just open.

Step 9: At this point, the halibut should be cooked through and mussels and clams opened. Remove the bouillabaisse from the heat and garnish with chopped parsley and serve.

Recipe FAQs

🍷 What to Serve with French Bouillabaisse

• Italian style peppers and onions as an appetizer.
• Julia Child's Nicoise Salad
• Lots of crusty bread to sop up the delicious sauce.
• White wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc or Viogner.

More Seafood Inspiration

Simple Bouillabaisse (French Seafood Stew)

Samantha Ferraro

LittleFerraroKitchen.com

This simple bouillabaisse recipe is a French seafood stew that is made in under an hour! The seafood simmers with tomatoes, saffron and herbs creating an irresistible recipe.

5 from 12 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Course Main

Cuisine French, Mediterranean

Servings 4 servings

Calories 366 kcal

Equipment

• ▢
  Dutch Oven Braiser
• ▢
  Shellfish Scrubber

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ▢ 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• ▢ 1 leek thinly sliced and washed well
• ▢ 1 small fennel sliced
• ▢ 4 garlic cloves finely chopped
• ▢ 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• ▢ 2 large tomatoes chopped
• ▢ 3-4 sprigs fresh thyme
• ▢ 1 pinch saffron
• ▢ 1 large piece of orange peel
• ▢ 1 bay leaf
• ▢ 4 cups seafood stock
• ▢ 1 pound halibut cut into 2 inch pieces
• ▢ 1 pound clams and/or mussels cleaned and scrubbed well
• ▢ ½ pound scallops about 6-8 scallops
• ▢ ½ pound medium sized shrimp
• ▢ ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon Ground black pepper
• ▢ Chopped parsley leaves, finely chopped for garnish

Instructions

 

• Bring a large wide Dutch oven to medium heat and add olive oil and butter.
• Once melted, add the sliced leeks and fennel and sauté until softened and fragrant, but not browned. about 2-3 minutes.
• Add the chopped garlic and sauté for another minute. Stir the tomato paste into the garlic for another 30 seconds.
• Add the chopped tomatoes, with their juices along with the saffron, and give everything a good sauté for another 3-4 minutes until the tomatoes begin to soften and release their juices.
• Pour the seafood stock in and nestle in the fresh thyme, bay leaf and orange peel. Simmer for 15-20 minutes.
• While simmering, add the fish that take longer to cook, the halibut and simmer for 3-4 minutes.
• Next, add the mussels and clams and and continue cooking for another 3-4 minutes.
• Then add scallops and continue cooking for another 2-3 minutes and finally, add the shrimp and continue cooking for another 2-3 minutes until the shrimp are just cooked through. At this point, the fish should be cooked through and mussels and clams just opened.
• Remove the bouillabaisse from heat and taste broth for seasoning.
• Ladle the bouillabaisse into bowls with assorted fish and garnish with chopped parsley

Notes

• • Not all seafood cooks at the same time. Add the thicker pieces first, then gradually add the more delicate seafood, such as shrimp and scallops towards the end.
  • Scrub clams and mussels with a seafood scrubber or something similar.

• • Thicker fillets of halibut and salmon should simmer for 10-12 minutes at the most.

• • Keep the seafood on ice and in the refrigerator until ready to use.

• • Cook fresh seafood within 24 hours of buying. For another Seafood recipe with an Italian Spin, try my Halibut Piccata  or my Lemon Butter Lingcod.

Nutrition

Calories: 366kcalCarbohydrates: 17gProtein: 38gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 89mgSodium: 1478mgPotassium: 1363mgFiber: 4gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 1448IUVitamin C: 26mgCalcium: 158mgIron: 3mg

Did you make this recipe?Let us know by leaving a comment and 5 star rating!