This recipe for Bourride de lotte, a Provençal fish stew or soup, is perfect for any celebration.
The monkfish is poached in a light vegetable stock then it's enriched with creamy aïoli for a luxurious finish.
Just serve with new potatoes and steamed asparagus or just giant croûtons smothered with the remaining aïoli.
Any fish would work perfectly for this delicious treat.
Bon appétit!
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❤️ Why you will love this dish
- Easy to make.
- Perfect for entertaining.
- Use ready made aïoli if you prefer.
🤔FAQs
Bourride simply means to boil and normally refers to a Provençal fish soup which was traditionally made with monkfish or other white fish.
Vegetables are cooked with white wine and fish stock and the fish is cooked in the stock.
The stock is then strained and enriched with aïoli.
Aïoli is very similar to mayonnaise, but the flavour is predominantly garlic, which had the added advantage of being an insect repellant too.
Another Provençal dish, traditionally it was made with just garlic and oil emulsified together, but often egg yolk is used to stabilise the sauce.
It is an important ingredient in bourride de lotte as it brings a creamy garlic flavour to the sauce without adding cream itself. It's also often served alongside the soup in the form of fried baguette or croûtons spread with the aïoli.
Monkfish is a firm favourite in my house and is a really easy fish to cook, as it only has a central bone and really keeps its shape without flaking when you cook it.
It's very popular in France, although usually sold headless as it's a ferocious looking beast! Don't be afraid to fillet it yourself as it's very easy to do and I have instructions on my recipe for Monkfish with Chorizo and Rosemary.
Keeping in mind that fish is so expensive, I've kept the elements of the original soup, but have made this dish into a meal using fillets of the fish rather than chunks and converting the soup to a sauce.
Of course, if you want the original bourride de lotte experience, I've included details too.
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🥘 Ingredients
A note on a few of the ingredients.
- White wine - ideally a dry ine that you would drink with the meal.
- Saffron - this is really only to add a little colour to the dish so feel free to leave it out.
- Olive oil - there's no need to use extra virgin olive oil.
- Bouquet garni - this is a mix of herbs that is removed at the end of cooking, so as not to tarnish the sauce. You can buy these ready made in' 'teabag' form.
- Pepper - while I am normally a fan of freshly ground black pepper, French sauces like this typically use white pepper.
The printable recipe card with full ingredient quantities and instructions can be found at the bottom of the article.
🍽 Equipment
- Large lidded shallow pan
- Sharp knife
- Chopping board
- Balloon whisk
- Large mixing bowl
- Fish slice
- Sieve/colander
🔪 Instructions
Heat the butter over a medium heat and fry the bread on both sides until golden brown then set aside.
I've only allowed one piece per person, but you can obviously make more as they are so delicious!
Crush the garlic and add to a large mixing bowl with the egg yolk.
Whisk together then add a little oil and whisk constantly.
Gradually pour in the oil in a steady stream while continually whisking, ensuring that all the oil is incorporated into an emulsion before adding more oil.
Season to taste and remove the aioli from the bowl and place in a small bowl, leaving two tablespoonfuls for the sauce.
💭 Top Tip
- Use a large balloon whisk if you can to make it easier to blend the oil.
- You can also use a blender to make the aïoli if you prefer.
Peel the carrot, onion and leek and chop into 1 cm pieces.
⏲️ Cooking Time
Add the oil to the pan over a medium heat and add the vegetables to soften for 3 minutes.
Add the fish stock, wine, bouquet garni and saffron add simmer for 15 minutes.
Place the fish fillets in the stock and simmer over a low heat with the lid on for about 15 minutes or until the fish is cooked.
If you using smaller pieces of fish you may need to decrease the cooking time.
Carefully remove the fish and set aside in a warm place.
Add two large spoonfuls of the cooking liquid to the aioli and whisk to incorporate.
Place the sieve over the bowl and strain the remaining stock into the aioli to create a smooth mix.
Return the sauce to the pan, along with the monkfish and heat through.
Check the sauce and add whisk in more aioli if you prefer.
I've garnished the bourride de lotte with parsley.
Serve the bread with the aioli, fish and sauce.
🥗 Side Dishes
Keep it simple with boiled potatoes and some steamed green vegetables or try some of these French dishes.
- Pommes Persillade
- Petits Pois à La Française
- Boursin Mashed Potatoes
- Celeriac Purée
- Green Beans Almondine
- Fondant Potatoes
- Roasted Courgettes Provençale
- Parmentier Potatoes
- Chateau Potatoes
- Potatoes Sarladaise
- Parisienne Potatoes
- Potatoes Pavé
🥙 Substitutions
- Monkfish - use cod, haddock, coley, pollack or halibut. Keep in mind that thinner cuts of fish will only take a few minutes to cook. This dish would also be delicious with large prawns.
- Aïoli - if you don't want to make your own buy a good quality jar. However, something highly processed may not combine as well with the stock.
📖 Variations
- Stew/soup - double the amount of vegetables, stock and wine. Cut the fish into chunks and cook in the liquid after it has been strained. You may also wish to serve it with the vegetables left in.
🍣 Storage
- Refrigerator - cool, cover and store for 2 days.
- Freezer - freeze for up to 3 months and defrost overnight in the refrigerator.
- To reheat - on the hob over a gentle heat.
🍱 Prepare in Advance
- Make the aïoli in advance and store in the fridge for up to 10 days. The strained stock could also be made a few days in advance.
Let me know what you think in the comments or you can post a picture and tag me on Twitter @chezlereve, Instagram @chezlerevefrancais, or Facebook @chezlerevefrancais
More fish recipes
- Baked Lemon Side of Salmon
- Smoked Salmon Pate
- Salmon and Broccoli Quiche
- Smoked Salmon Canapes
- Smoked Salmon Tartines
- Honey Garlic Salmon
- Smoked Salmon Mousse
- Cod Cheeks in Panko
- Baked Monkfish Tails in Bacon
- Cod Mornay with Prawns
- Monkfish Recipe with Chorizo and Rosemary
- Mussels in White Wine
- Calamari Stuffed with Prawn and Crab
📋 Recipe
Bourride de Lotte
Equipment
- large lidded shallow pan
- sharp knife
- chopping board
- balloon whisk
- large mixing bowl
- spatula or fish slice
- sieve/colander
Ingredients
Aioli
- 150 ml olive oil
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 cloves garlic extra if required to taste
- ¼ salt extra if required to taste
- ¼ white pepper
Bourride
- 500 g monkfish 4 portions
- 1 onion
- 1 carrot
- 1 leek white part only
- 250 ml white wine dry
- 250 ml fish stock
- 1 bouquet garni
- 1 pinch saffron optional
- 1 tablespoon oil
Garnish
- 4 slices baguette or as much as you like
- 25 g butter
Instructions
- Heat the butter over a medium heat and fry the bread on both sides until golden brown then set aside.
- Crush the garlic and add to a large mixing bowl with the egg yolk.
- Whisk together then add a little oil and whisk constantly.
- Gradually pour in the oil in a steady stream while continually whisking, ensuring that all the oil is incorporated into an emulsion before adding more oil.
- Season to taste and remove the aioli from the bowl and place in a small bowl for serving, leaving two tablespoonfuls.
- Peel the carrot, onion and leek and chop into 1 cm pieces.
- Add the oil to the pan over a medium heat and add the vegetables to soften for 3 minutes.
- Add the fish stock, wine, bouquet garni and saffron (if using), add simmer for 15 minutes.
- Place the fish fillets in the stock and simmer over a low heat with the lid on for about 15 minutes or until the fish is cooked.
- Carefully remove the fish and set aside in a warm place.
- Add two large spoonfuls of the cooking liquid to the aioli and whisk to incorporate.
- Place the sieve over the bowl and strain the remaining stock into the aioli to create a smooth mix.
- Return the sauce to the pan, along with the monkfish and heat through.
- Check the sauce and add whisk in more aioli if you prefer.
- Serve the bread with the aioli, fish and sauce.
Disclaimer: The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
Detailed instructions for this recipe, including step by step photographs, hints and tips, can be found in the main article.
Seafood
- Caviar Canapés7 Minutes
- Crab Canapés20 Minutes
- Crab Pâté3 Minutes
- Cod Cheeks and Chorizo15 Minutes
Food Safety
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat.
- Wash hands after touching raw meat.
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods.
- Never leave cooking food unattended.
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds.
- Always have good ventilation when using gas.
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Amanda
Perfect for entertaining!