True Blue Bouillabaisse

One of the French Riviera 's most defining dishes is bouillabaisse. This thick fish stew defines what the flavor of Mediterranean  cooking is all about - a cornucopia of seafood mingled with a vast garden of herbs and spices. Where to get this amazing dish? Marseille - where cooking and eating the soup like stew originates.

Elaine Sciolino, a sometimes contributor to the New York Times Food section wrote about bouillabaisse in yesterday Food section. she had the lucky chance to enjoy the sun and sand of the area along with finding the perfect bowl.Ms Sciolino may have been the only one craving the dish. Very few Marseillaises eat the famed soup at restaurants. If they do, it's usually at home, from a family recipe.They would rather have either  pizza from food trucks or go to the city's North African restaurants for couscous.It is one of the area's earliest dishes, originating from the Greeks who colonized Marseille in 600 BC.  The recipe stems from kakavia and evolved from a supposed
 dish of the gods (Venus , the Roman goddess of love turned it into a sleeping potion for  her husband , Vulcan, while she dallied with her lover, Mars) . Local fisherman embraced it, adding the plentiful rockfish to the recipe. Their descendants turn up their noses at it. Bouillabaisse , they have discerned , is only for tourists. There's a rumor throughout France that the recipe has gone the way of coq au vin or blanquette de veau, traditional mid 20th Century dishes.Ms . Sciolino admits that finding it was somewhat of a quest.

Even though bouillabaisse has been served since the 18th Century, it is hard to find a restaurant that serves a good one.The port area makes up mediocre ones for tourists while the fancier and known eatery Le Petit Nice, creates a deconstructed  one, thanks to its' famed chef Gerald Passedat. Ms. Sciolino headed to the small resort community Carry-le-Rouet twenty miles northwest of Vieux Port. Since it requires expensive ingredients and is difficult to make you have to order it two days in advance. The chef,  Christophe Thullier prepared his the classic way. His stock was from tiny and gutted rockfish along with tomatoes, fennel, a mix of spices, olive oil and water. It's boiled for twenty minutes until it's thickened and then strained through a sieve. At the same time five types of rockfish is marinated for five hours in a blend of white wine,  and olive oil. Thyme, rosemary, saffron, paprika are added along with a  lot of garlic and more saffron.The fish is thrown into the broth at the last minute. The broth , however was served first , with slices of crusty and toasted French bread. The fish is served secondly and mixed with the broth. The soup is opaque and gritty, with the fish settling at the bowl's bottom.Still, it's worth the trip. Can it be made at home? Yes, but it may not be same as what's made in the south of France.

If you want to get the real bouillabaisse, then head to Marseille. It is worth the trip,not just for that, but the other recipes Provence has  to offer. The lure is strong , like the aroma of a good soup.