The first time I heard of a bouillabaisse was from a delightful lady by the name of Carmen Bulliard Montegut, now deceased. She was the unofficial “keeper” of old traditional recipes that were held sacred by the people of St. Martinville, a small yet sophisticated town sometimes referred to as Le Petit Paris by the French royalist who migrated there during the French Revolution.

Many families retained their traditions and culture and prepared dishes in the French style, one of which was the bouillabaisse.

However, when they arrived in Louisiana, they quickly learned that the fish stew that originated in Marseilles made with a variety of fish and shellfish would have to be altered to accommodate what was at hand. Without their familiar Mediterranean fish and crustaceans, they soon adapted the stew using local crabs, oysters, shrimp, and fish.

And this is how Mrs. Montegut told me “the rest of the story” about this wonderful fish soup.

Two fishermen were disputing as they sat in a boat as to the proper way of cooking fish. One succeeded in making a dish that would have gladdened the heart of any old French or Creole bon vivant while the other failed. The successful cook offered to teach his friend, and as the latter was following the directions implicitly, and the finishing touches were being added to the dish, the teacher seeing that the important and crucial moment had come, cried out, bringing down his hand emphatically, “Et quad ca commence a bouillir, biases”. And when it begins to boil, lower the flame.

And thus, a perfect fish stew!

Filed Under: Culinary History