The literal translation for this recipe is seafood stew. Somehow bouillaibaisse (pronounced bool-ya-base) sounds better. Although I won't lie, I've been making this dish for years and I still have a hell of a time spelling it.

...

The first time I made bouillabaisse was a sad tale of unrequited love. I was introduced to it by a guy I had a terrible crush on and somehow, the careful process of making this soup, all the chopping, cutting, stirring -- over two hours time if you make the stock from scratch -- just seemed to fuel my deluded dream that this was a man I was meant to play house with.  To say that I was dumped would be too generous. I was flicked away, as if I was a bothersome fly.  Still, I never lost my passion for this French seafood stew. 

A few years back, I saw the long ago object of my affection.  I could say some very mean things about how poorly he's aged and how his fashion style seemed to be inspired by the weird guy on Third Rock from the Sun. But I won't go there.  I think the French are so sanguine about love because they believe even the briefest of love affairs is a gift.  The man I adored gave me this dish and not his heart. If you were ever to meet him, you'd know that I got the better end of the deal.  

The recipe below is actually from Ina Garten's Barefoot in Paris. The one change I make is that I serve mine with a warmed baguette on the side.  She puts a slice of baguette into the bowl and ladles the soup over it. But I have this thing -- I really hate wet bread.

What I love about making bouillabaisse is the slow and simple pleasure of a meal that takes all afternoon to prepare.  If you're in a rush, you can use store bought fish stock and this will be ready in an hour.  Let me know if you find this as yum as I do.

The Barefoot Contessa's Bouillabaisse 

*This recipe claims to serve 6, but I've found that people so often want seconds, it really serves 4 more comfortably.  

3 tablespoons good olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onions (2 small)
2 cups large-diced small white potatoes
2 cups chopped fennel (1 large bulb)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups good white wine
1 (28-ounce) can plum tomatoes, chopped
1 quart Seafood Stock, recipe follows, or store-bought fish stock
1 tablespoon chopped garlic (3 cloves)
1 teaspoon saffron threads
1 pound large shrimp, shelled and deveined (reserve the shells for the stock)
1 pound each halibut and bass fillets, cut in large chunks
24 mussels, cleaned
3 tablespoons Pernod*
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
Toasted baguette slices, buttered and rubbed with garlic

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or stockpot, add the onions, potatoes, fennel, salt, and pepper, and saute over medium-low heat for 15 minutes, until the onions begin to brown. Add the wine and scrape up the brown bits with a wooden spoon. Add the tomatoes with their juices, stock, garlic, and saffron to the pot, bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. Add the shrimp, fish, and mussels, bring to a boil, then lower the heat, cover, and cook for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the pot to sit covered for another 5 minutes. The fish and shrimp should be cooked and the mussels opened. Discard any mussels that don't open. Stir in the Pernod, orange zest, and salt, to taste. Serve ladled over 1 or 2 slices of toasted baguette  (I skip this last step.  See my wet bread screed above.)

*Pernod is an anise flavored liqueur.  It is also sometimes also sold as Ricard.  A bit of trivia: Monsieur Pernod and Monsieur Ricard were actually rival absinthe makers who turned to making liqueur when absinthe was banned in 1915. They were bitter rivals for years until the company merged forces in the 1970's. Still, in the south of France, there are people who wouldn't touch Ricard and there are some old men who would not touch Pernod.  It's kind of a Coke and Pepsi thing.

 
Seafood Stock:
2 tablespoons good olive oil
Shells from 1 pound large shrimp
2 cups chopped yellow onions (2 onions)
2 carrots, unpeeled and chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 quarts water
1/2 cup good white wine
1/3 cup tomato paste
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
10 sprigs fresh thyme, including stems

Warm the oil in the pan over medium heat. Add the shrimp shells, onions, carrots, and celery over medium heat for 15 minutes, until lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook 2 more minutes. Add 1 1⁄2 quarts of water, the white wine, tomato paste, salt, pepper, and thyme. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 1 hour. Strain through a sieve, pressing the solids. You should have approximately 1 quart of stock. If not, you can make up the difference with water or white wine.