fbpx

How to Make a Thai Bouillabaisse

Asian Soups

A Thai bouillabaisse is sort of like a fusion between a bouillabaisse and a tom yum soup. If you love Thai cuisine and seafood, this is the recipe for you.

Of all the pictures I took for my new cookbook, The Thai Soup Secret, this one for a Thai bouillabaisse, is probably my favorite. It makes me want to stick my face in it and start slurping all that seafood goodness.

Am I right all you seafood lovers?!  I don’t understand sometimes how anyone could not love seafood. If it comes from the ocean, I WANT TO EAT IT NOW.

Well if you’re also a seafood lover, you probably love bouillabaisse, the traditional French seafood stew. But if there was ever a match made in heaven, I think it would have to be a fusion between a bouillabaisse and a simple tom yum soup. That’s the best way I can describe a Thai bouillabaisse.  

Basically, imagine a light seafood broth swimming with fresh fish and shellfish, infused with lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime, chiles, and then seasoned with lime juice, herbs, and fish sauce. 

To make this meal truly divine, use fresh, local seafood and serve it on a beautiful summer evening overlooking the ocean with a bottle of white wine (or three) and good friends and family. I’m not sure a meal could get much better than that.

More Thai Soup Recipes to Try

As mentioned prior, this recipe for a Thai bouillabaisse is also in my new book, The Thai Soup Secret. It’s part of the fusion chapter which includes 10 creative recipes that meld Thai cuisine with other ethnic cuisines. Also included are a Thai Portuguese kale soup, a Thai Mexican meatball soup, a Thai coconut carrot, and a Thai mango gazpacho.

Thai Soup Secret cover

Transform Your Health with Thailand’s #1 Superfood!

Includes 40 restorative recipes for broths, congees, and soups. All gluten and dairy-free!

There are also chapters on traditional Thai soups like Tom Yum Goong and Tom Kha Gai, as well as chapters on making Thai congees and a variety of bone broths. Here’s a list of some of the recipes available on my blog…

How to Make a Thai Bouillabaisse

Thai Bouillabaisse

Thai Bouillabaisse Recipe

Seafood, Thai herbs and fish broth make for a simple Thai twist on a traditional bouillabaisse.

Course Main Course, Soup
Cuisine Thai
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 4 people
Author Craig Fear

Ingredients

  • 1 quart fish broth or water
  • 8 – 12 shrimp peeled or left whole
  • About a ½ pound white fish – cod, halibut, snapper, etc., cut into cubes
  • 8 – 12 mussels
  • 8 – 12 clams of your choice – steamers, littlenecks, etc.
  • 1 TBSP olive oil
  • 2 stalks lemongrass cut into 1-2 inch slices 
  • 1-2 inch piece galangal or ginger cut into slices
  • 4-5 kaffir lime leaves ripped in half 
  • 1 shallot or small onion diced
  • 2-3 cloves garlic diced
  • 1 jalapeno de-seeded and diced
  • Thai basil about a ¼ cup, chopped
  • Cilantro about a ¼ cup, chopped
  • 1-2 TBSPs fish sauce  
  • 1-2 TBSPs lime juice

Additional seasonings, to taste

Instructions

  1. In a medium stockpot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the shallot or onion, garlic, and jalapeno and saute for about 5 minutes.

  2. Add the broth, lemongrass, galangal, and kaffir lime leaves and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.

  3. Add 1 TBSP of the fish sauce and 1 TBSP of the lime juice, taste the soup, and add the remaining 1 TBSP fish sauce and 1 TBSP lime juice, if needed.

  4. Add the cod, shrimp, clams, mussels, Thai basil, and cilantro and simmer until the mussels and clams open, about 5 to 10 minutes.

  5. Ladle the soup into bowls and season with the additional seasonings, to  taste. 

A Thai bouillabaisse is sort of like a fusion between a bouillabaisse and a tom yum soup. If you love Thai cuisine and seafood, this is the recipe for you.
Fearless Eating may receive commissions from purchases made through links in this article. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. More info here.
How to Make a Thai Bouillabaisse
Follow

About the Author

Craig Fear is the creator of Fearless Eating and the author of three books, The 30-Day Heartburn Solution, Fearless Broths and Soups and The Thai Soup Secret. After years helping clients with digestive issues, Craig decided to pursue writing full-time. He intends to write many more books on broths and soups from around the world! Click here to learn more about Craig.

(2) comments

Add Your Reply
Pin209
Share8
Yum
Reddit
Tweet