Provence Gourmet: How to make Bourride
Provencal Recipes · Soup · TasteBourride is a simple Provencal fish stew made with white fish. The broth is thickened with aïoli, a homemade garlicky mayonnaise. Many ingredients are similar, making it a cousin of Bouillabaisse. Preparing bourride is relatively quick, depending on the thickness of the fish. However, its creamy texture separates it from its cousin. Gilles Conchy at Provence Gourmet shared this recipe with Perfectly Provence readers.
Bourride Mediterranean Fish Soup
Bourride is similar to bouillabaisse, a seafood soup flavoured with garlic aïoli.
Equipment
Ingredients
Fish Stock
- 1 fish head
- 1 medium onion
- 2 leeks
- 1 stalk celery
- 1 cup (200ml) white wine
Bourride
- 4 pieces white fish Any of these: conger eel, cod, angler fish, whiting, bass
- 4 large potatoes
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 2-3 stalks fennel dried
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tbsp orange zest
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 12 slices grilled bread
Aïoli
- 1/2 cup (100ml) olive oil extra virgin
- 1/2 cup (100ml) sunflower oil
- 2 garlic cloves
- 3 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 tsp mustard
- 1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
To Prepare the Fish Stock
- Add 8 cups of water, salt & pepper, onion, leeks and celery in a medium saucepan.
- Slowly bring to boiling point and skim off the floating mousse that begins to form.
- Lower the heat, add the wine for 30 minutes of cooking (not longer).
- Check the stock once in awhile and skim off the remaining mousse if necessary.
- Filter your stock through a colander.
To Make the Aïoli
- Peel the garlic and crush it.
- Put the garlic paste in a bowl along with one egg yolk, mustard, salt & pepper.
- Mix the ingredients with a whisk and start adding the oil very slowly. Keep mixing the whole time.
- This process is delicate so never stop mixing with a fork or a whisk, and as your aïoli thickens you can start pouring in a little more oil.
- About half way, add the lemon juice.
- Put aside in your fridge.
To Make the Bourride
- In a heavy stockpot spread in the following order the thinly sliced onion, 3 tbsp of olive oil, the fennel stalks, the bay leaf, the orange zest, and the sliced potatoes (1/2cm large) add salt & pepper.
- Brown your ingredients for 2 to 3 minutes on a high heat without stirring (shake your pot a little for the onions not to burn).
- Add a part of the warm fish stock to barely cover the ingredients.
- Cover your pot and cook for 10 minutes at medium heat.
- Then add the slices of fish on top and the needed fish stock to cover again.
- Cover your pot and let it cook from 6-8 minutes.
- Check your fish & potatoes to make sure they are cooked.
- Arrange fish & potatoes in a serving platter
- In each one soup bowl place 3 - 4 grilled slices of bread and soak them with the fish stock.
Serve the Aïoli
- Keep aside 3 tbsp worth per person to be served while eating.
- Put the rest in a cooking pot, add 2 eggs yolk and a 1 cup of fish stock.
- Mix it all and put on a very low heat and keep stirring, until your sauce thickens. NOTE: The soup must not boil. If it does, the eggs will separate.
- At that point pour that sauce on your soaked bread.
- Serve the fish and potatoes on top and use the saved aïoli as mayonnaise.
- You may propose a little extra fish stock for those who want it.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
More Seafood Recipes
Marseille Classic Bouillabaisse
Ideally, a bouillabaisse should be prepared for at least 6 to 7 people, allowing the cook to purchase a wider variety of fish. Below is the luxury version of the traditional recipe, as it differs from the original fishermen who were simply recuperating the damaged and unsold parts.
Check out this recipe
Provençal Seafood Stew
This recipe from Cocoa & Lavender was adapted from a recipe by Mark Bittman.
Check out this recipe
Seafood Pot Pie
Simple to prepare, this seafood dish delivers "wow" factor with the golden, puff pastry crust.
Check out this recipe
Brandade de Morue
This recipe for a salt cod (morue) gratin is easy to make. Serve this seafood dish with a green salad and some crusty bread. The key to the recipe is allowing for the overnight soaking period for the cod, to remove preservative salt.
Check out this recipeLegal
All rights reserved. Perfectly Provence articles and other content may not be published, broadcast, rewritten (including translations into other languages) or redistributed without written permission. For usage information, please contact us.
Syndication InformationAffiliate Information
As an Amazon Associate, this website earns from qualifying purchases. Some recipes, posts and pages may have affiliate links. If you purchase via these links, we receive a small commission that does not impact your price. Thank you in advance for supporting our work to maintain Perfectly Provence.
Previous Post
In pursuit of pan bagnatNext Post
So it begins. Destination: Uzes, FranceRelated Provence Articles
Where to Eat in Provence? Domaine la Pierre Blanche is a Food Lovers’ Paradise
June 18, 2025
As the sun gracefully dips behind the Alpilles, the landscape is bathed in a gentle golden glow that dances across the grapevines, offering a prelude to an enchanting evening in Provence. This region’s luminous light, which has long captured the imaginations of celebrated artists, serves as a backdrop to the ...
Good Food and Cozy Dining in St-Rémy at Le Marilyn
June 16, 2025
My wife and I live part of the year in St-Rémy-de-Provence, and one of our favourite restaurants for cozy dining is Le Marilyn. We always receive a warm welcome, the food is consistently good, and the dining room is one of the most charming around. Owner Chantal Büchner has been ...
Antibes: A Timeless Treasure on the Côte d’Azur
June 5, 2025
Nestled between the Mediterranean Sea’s azure waters and Provence’s rolling hills lies Antibes, a gem of the French Riviera that enchants visitors with its irresistible blend of history, art, and culinary traditions. A Journey Through the Centuries As you wander through the narrow, cobblestone streets of the old town, you ...
My Chicken Ispahan Recipe – Inspired by Pierre Hermé’s French Pastry
May 26, 2025
It may seem strange, but I am not a café au lait fan. However, a hot chocolate (chocolat chaud) in Paris with a beautiful pastry called an Ispahan – now that is a magical French experience. Pierre Hermé created the dessert for Ladurée, the finest purveyor of macarons in Paris ...
No Comment