Happy National Bouillabaisse Day!

by Alexa Weibel, Posted Dec 14th 2009 @ 1:15PM

Bouillabaisse. Photo: Schatzibot, Flickr.

Happy National Bouillabaisse Day!

For those unfamiliar with the complex dish, it's a highly seasoned stew built upon the use of multiple types of fish and shellfish. According to lore, hearty bouillabaisse was once served by Venus to her husband, to tire him out so she could freely consort with Mars. Although the dish originated as simple fisherman's stew, with the day's catch boiled in salt water, today's Provincial bouillabaisse is know for its delicate flavor palate, including saffron, fennel seeds and orange zest. Its name is derived from French words indicating the dish's necessity of boiling to extract plenty of flavor from its contents.

Here, Flickr user Schatzibot captured the Petite Bouillabaisse with Green Garlic Aïoli, Washington Mussels, and Trout Roe from Portland restaurant Beast, writing, "We thought it was a heavenly soup course, the creamy aïoli perfectly balancing the salt of the bouillabaisse."

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Filed Under: Holidays, News
Tags: beast restaurant, bouillabaisse, national bouillabaisse day, shellfish