In the Charming Town of Cagnes-sur-Mer, whose Jewish population of four hundred comes mostly from Morocco, I tasted a delicious fish soup. This particular recipe is one that painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir, who lived in the town, would have relished.

　　

Ingredients

6 to 8 servings

　　1/4 cup olive oil

　　2 leeks, cleaned and diced

　　2 onions, diced

　　3 cloves garlic, minced

　　1 stalk celery, diced

　　Pinch of saffron

　　1 fennel bulb, diced, plus the fronds for garnish

　　2 or 3 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried

　　1 bay leaf

　　6 cups prepared fish stock*

　　1/2 teaspoon mace

　　2 tomatoes, diced

　　1 tablespoon tomato paste

　　1 half-inch piece orange zest

　　3 potatoes, peeled and diced

　　Salt and freshly ground pepper

　　1 pound oily fish (bluefish, hake, pollock, or cod)

　　1 pound white, meaty fish (sea bream, sea bass, yellowtail snapper, or halibut)

　　Juice of 1 lemon or lime

　　2 tablespoons red wine or pastis

　　2 tablespoons chopped parsley

　　Rouille (recipe follows)

　　

Rouille (Garlicky, Peppery Mayonnaise)

2 egg yolks

　　Juice of 1/2 lemon

　　1 to 1 1/4 cups extra-virgin olive oil

　　3 cloves garlic

　　Pinch of salt

　　A few pinches of white pepper

　　A few saffron strands

　　1/2 cup soft white bread crumbs

　　1 cayenne pepper, dried, or 1/2 teaspoon harissa

　　(about 1 1/2 cups)

　　

Step 1

Heat the olive oil in a large casserole. Add the leeks, onions, garlic, celery, saffron, fennel bulb, thyme, and bay leaf, and sauté until the onions are clear but not browned.

　　

Step 2

Add the fish stock, bring to a boil, and simmer slowly for 30 to 40 minutes, covered, or until the flavor is mellow. Then stir in the mace, tomatoes, tomato paste, orange zest, and potatoes, and cook for about 15 minutes more, or until the potatoes are cooked.

　　

Step 3

Fish out the thyme, bay leaf, and orange zest, and purée the other ingredients until smooth.

　　

Step 4

Return the soup to the casserole, and bring to a boil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cut the oily fish into 2-inch cubes and add them to the casserole. Simmer, covered, for 5 minutes, shaking the casserole from time to time to prevent sticking; do not stir, or the fish will disintegrate.

　　

Step 5

Add additional water if needed to cover the fish. After about 2 minutes, add the whitefish pieces to the casserole, setting the most delicate fish on top, and continue to cook until the fish flakes easily with a fork—about 5 minutes more. Stir in the lemon juice and the red wine or pastis, and sprinkle with parsley and a few fronds of fennel. Top each serving with a dollop of rouille.

　　

Rouille (Garlicky, Peppery Mayonnaise)

Step 6

Put the egg yolks and the lemon juice in a small food processor equipped with a steel blade. Drizzle in the oil very slowly, to emulsify into a smooth mayonnaise.

　　

Step 7

Then peel the garlic and add it to the mayonnaise along with the salt, white pepper, saffron, bread crumbs, and the cayenne or harissa. Purée all the ingredients together.

　　

Step 8

Adjust seasonings to taste. If the rouille is not thick enough, blend some cooked potatoes into the sauce.

　　Cooks' Note

　　*Fish stock is available at fish markets and some supermarkets.

　　Quiches, Kugels, and Couscous