Bourride Provençale with Aïoli
Satisfying and comforting, this French Bourride Provençale with Aïoli is so tasty! With flavorful ingredients, this is a great meal to make!
Ingredients
- 2 to 2 1/2 lbs. white fish fillets such as cod, halibut, monkfish, etc., patted dry and cut into 2-inch pieces
- ground Himalayan pink salt, to taste and divided
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste and divided (I always use mixed peppercorns)
- 6 stems parsley, leaves reserved for garnish tips & tricks
- 1 tsp. fennel seeds
- 1 large bay leaf
- 2 tbsp. olive oil tips & tricks
- 2 leeks (about 3 cups), white parts only and diced tips & tricks
- 1/2 cup yellow onions, diced
- 1/2 cup celery, diced tips & tricks
- 1/2 cup carrots, diced
- 2 large cloves garlic, pressed
- 3 large plum tomatoes (about 1 1/4 cups), seeded and diced tips & tricks
- 1 1/2 cups dry white wine
- 2 lbs. Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed and diced into 3/4-inch pieces
- 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth (substitute fish stock)
- 1 tsp. piment d'Espelette, or to taste Footnote
- 1 cup (8 oz./236 ml) clam juice (susbtitute 1 dozen baby clams)
- 1/3 cup Aïoli see Recipe
Directions
- After patting them dry, generously season fish fillets with salt and pepper. Cut fillets into 2-inch pieces and set aside.
- Make bouquet garni…Place parsley stems in a sachet or the center of a cheesecloth along with fennel seeds and bay leaf. Tie up the bag and make a knot or gather the sides of cheesecloth and tie it up with kitchen twine; set aside.
- Add pressed garlic and sauté for 30 seconds. Add tomatoes, white wine and season with black pepper. Stir well and cook until the liquid has reduced by half.
- Add potatoes, chicken broth, bouquet garni and piment d’Espelette. Stir and bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce back to medium and cook for 10 minutes stirring occasionally.
- Pour in clam juice and add seasoned fish fillet pieces; push down to submerge the fish. Turn the heat to high and when it just starts bubbling, turn back to medium and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile make the Aïoli...
- Using a slotted spoon, transfer fish pieces to a plate, remove the bouquet garni and discard it.
- Check if potatoes are tender – if not, cook for 2 minutes longer.
- Temper the garlic sauce by pouring in some of the hot fish liquid, in a slow stream, while whisking continuously before adding more until the Aïoli is tempered.
- Add it to the mixture and whisk until well incorporated
- Spoon soup in warm bowls, place a few fish pieces on top (and clams if using them), garnish with fresh chopped parsley and serve with crostini or crusty bread.
Notes
Footnote: Substitute cayenne pepper but only add 1/2 tsp. instead of 1 tsp.