NATIONAL BOUILLABAISSE DAY

National Bouillabaisse Day on December 14th gives seafood lovers everywhere a reason to celebrate. This flavorful fish stew hits the spot on cold winter’s day, too.

The French are known for many great recipes. Their food inspires travel to France for a taste of authentic dishes. Bouillabaisse tops the list of must-have cuisine while visiting France. The tasty stew originates in the port city of Marseille. It is traditionally made using bony rockfish, saffron, fennel seed, and orange zest.

However, in the culinary world, strong opinions bounce around about the proper ingredients for an authentic bouillabaisse. Those opinions include the type of fish. Typically, cooks use red rascasse, sea robin, or European conger. They also debate the type of wine (red or white). Both topics are hotly debated. They even argue about the soup’s origins. Did a Greek goddess create the stew? Or does the credit belong to coastal fishermen who threw the ingredients together from unsold bony rockfish? Perhaps these spicy debates add a little flavor to the stew, too. Your guess is as good as ours.

Regardless, cooks use a variety of fresh fish as their first step to a delicious bouillabaisse. It is especially important if you can’t get to the south of France to order it made for you.

Travel to France to enjoy the authentic taste of bouillabaisse. No time? Visit a French restaurant near you or even try making it yourself. Explore a variety of recipes for bouillabaisse. For inspiration, watch Julia Child while she prepares her Bouillabaisse A La Marseillaise. Invite friends to join you.

We've also provided this Bouillabaisse Recipe for you to try. Add a baguette and watch a French movie (or any movie about food) for additional flair. We have a few suggestions to get you started:

You can also take a cooking class to master this delicious stew. Let us know how it turns out! However you celebrate be sure to use #BouillabaisseDay to post your experiences on social media.

Undeterred by our research, National Day Calendar® continues seeking the origins of this flavorful holiday.

A. Yes. Seal the soup in a freezer-safe container. The soup should be good for up to 4 months in the freezer.

The first trans-pacific cable line is completed by the Commercial Cable Company. It connected San Francisco, CA to Honolulu, HI.

The first team of explorers reaches the South Pole. Roald Amundsen and his team left his base camp at Antarctica's Bay of Whales in October using sleigh dogs. The team arrived at the pole ahead of Robert F. Scott by more than a month.

Marvin Gaye's "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" is #1 on the music charts. Interestingly, several other artists recorded the song, too. Smokey Robinson & the Miracles recorded the song in 1966. However, it wasn't released until 1968, the same year as Marvin Gaye's version. Others who have recorded the song include Gladys Knight & the Pips and Creedence Clearwater Revival. The song was written by Barret Strong and Norman Whitfield.

Pilots Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager take off from Edwards Air Force Base in Voyager. Burt Rutan designed the honeycombed, lightweight aircraft from composite materials. The design allowed the plane to carry more fuel. As a result, the pilots completed the nonstop flight around the world without refueling in 9 days.

The American pilot led many missions during World War II. His efforts earned him both the Congressional Medal of Honor and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

The American politician was the first woman elected to Congress in both the House and Senate. In both instances, she was also the first woman representing Maine in Congress.

The American soldier received the Medal of Honor and the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions at Achain, France, during World War II.

Bouillabaisse
Soupe de Poisson. Julia Child's recipe served w/ a delectable rouille. A deliciously simple French fish soup with a fragrant broth and perfectly cooked seafood. True comfort food and a culinary classic.

The ever-thrifty French serve the fish first then eat the broth later w/ crusty bread.

Ingredients ---- Bouillabaisse Soup Base ▢50 ml Olive oil ▢10 ea Whole prawns peeled, deveined, keep the heads and shells ▢1 medium Onion fine sliced ▢1 Fennel bulb fine sliced, keep the fronds ▢1 Leek white part only, fine sliced ▢6 cloves Garlic chopped ▢2 ea Bay leaves ▢1 bunch Parsley rough chopped leaves, stalks kept whole ▢½ teaspoon Dried thyme ▢1 ea Red chilli Seeds removed, chopped ▢2 strips Orange peel ▢2 ea Star anise ▢1 pinch Saffron ▢2 tablespoon Tomato puree ▢2 ea Ripe tomatoes ▢100 ml White wine ▢2 ltr Chicken stock Fish and seafood (see note 1) ▢300 g Fresh fish fillets cut into chunks ▢15 ea Fresh mussels cleaned, debearded ▢10 ea Prawn tails From soup base recipe ▢24 ea Clams purged in fresh water

Garlic Saffron Rouille ▢1 Egg ▢1 Egg yolk ▢2 tablespoon Dijon mustard ▢2 cloves Garlic ▢1 pinch Saffron ▢1 Red chilli ▢150 ml Olive oil ▢salt to taste ▢Squeeze of lemon juice ▢1 French baton or any fresh crusty bread

Instructions --soup base. Prep all the base ingredients. Grab a large pot and put on a medium heat. Add the oil allow to warm a little then add the prawn shells. Cook the shells until well browned then add the sliced onion, fennel, leek and garlic, cook until softened but not brown. Add the bay leaves, thyme, red chili, orange peel, star anise, saffron, parsley stalks, continue to cook for a couple of minutes. Add the tomatoes and tomato paste and fry for a couple of minutes. Add the white wine and allow to reduce away then add the chicken stock.

Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 35 minutes until all the vegetables are nice and soft. Remove from the heat and allow to cool a little.

Preparing Rouille While your soup is simmering make your rouille. Grab your bench top blended, add the egg, egg yolk, mustard, chilli, garlic, saffron, pinch of salt and lemon juice, place on the lid and turn on to start blending. Slowly add the olive oil at a drizzle speed through the hole in the lid, your rouille should start to thicken as you add the oil. You want to create a mayonnaise consistency. Place in a sealed jar in the fridge, until ready to serve.

FINAL Blend the base and cook the fish and seafood: Using a good bench top blender, ladle the base a bit at a time (yes all the ingredients ) and blend until smooth, repeat the process until all the soup is blended. (See note 2) Pour the soup through a sieve, then place into a large clean pot. Heat the blended soup base and add the seafood, start with the fish and prawns then add the shellfish on top of this. Simmer for around 5 minutes until the shells have popped open and the fish and prawns are cooked. Taste and season, if requided. Add the chopped parsley and serve with the rouille and crusty bread.

Note 1 - Use fish and seafood available and sustainable in your region.....octopus, crabs, squid, cuttlefish or different shellfish like razor clams, diamond clams, tua tua. Other varieties like john dory, red mullet, red snapper, hake, grouper, halibut and haddock work well. Note 2 - Can do ahead to blending the soup base. Then store sealed in the fridge, until ready to cook the fish and seafood, then serve.

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