bouillabaisse

American  

[bool-yuh-beys, bool-yuh-beys, boo-ya-bes] / ˌbul yəˈbeɪs, ˈbul yəˌbeɪs, bu yaˈbɛs /

noun

1. a soup or stew containing several kinds of fish and often shellfish, usually combined with olive oil, tomatoes, and saffron.

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bouillabaisse British  

/ ˌbuːjəˈbɛs /

noun

1. a rich stew or soup of fish and vegetables flavoured with spices, esp saffron

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Etymology

Origin of bouillabaisse

1850–55; < French < Provençal boui-abaisso, taken as either “boil it, then lower the heat,” or “when it boils, lower the heat”; boui 2nd-person singular imperative or 3rd-person singular present of bouie to boil ¹; abaisso 2nd-person singular imperative of abaissa to lower; see abase

Explanation

Bouillabaisse is a rich French stew that's full of fish and shellfish and flavored with saffron. Bouillabaisse is made with tomatoes and other vegetables, but the emphasis is on the seafood. Traditionally, cooks made bouillabaisse using fish and shellfish that were accidentally pulled up in fishermen's nets, including bony rockfish and mussels. They served the seafood and vegetables separately from the broth. It's sometimes still presented this way, along with grilled slices of bread rubbed in garlic and herbs. Bouillabaisse is from the Provençal verbs bolhir, "to boil," and abaissar, "to simmer."

Example Sentences

Some have gone by the wayside, like the now-closed restaurant on the beach that served the best bouillabaisse.

From Los Angeles Times • May 11, 2026

"Une grande bouillabaisse," a friend who was monitoring the elections described it - "a big electoral stew".

From BBC • Jan. 2, 2024

Executive chef James Gibney who has worked at five-star resort hotels around Belgium, oversees a menu with a heavy focus on seafood including steelhead tartare, Caribbean mussel curry, crab gratin and bouillabaisse.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 8, 2023

“I’ve never seen such a spicy bouillabaisse of ingredients that could wreak havoc on energy prices,” said Tom Kloza, the global head of energy analysis at Oil Price Information Service.

From New York Times • Oct. 14, 2022

She orders a salad and the bouillabaisse and a bottle of Sancerre.

From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri