Bouillabaisse

Step 1: Heat 6 tbsp olive oil in a large pot over a medium heat. Fry 2 onions, 1 leek and 1 fennel bulb for 10 minutes until soft but not brown. Add 4 cloves garlic, 1 ⅛ lb ripe tomatoes, 1 tbsp tomato purée, 1 strip of orange peel, 3 sprigs fresh thyme and 1 bay leaf and cook for 5 minutes.

Step 2: Rinse the 2 ¼ lb fish heads and bones well, add them with the 8 ¼ cups water, 2 tsp salt and half the ¼ tsp saffron threads. Bring to a rolling boil and boil hard for 20 minutes; the strong boil is what blends the oil into the broth.

Step 3: Pass everything through a sieve or food mill, pressing hard to get all the flavour out. Return the broth to a clean pot with the rest of the ¼ tsp saffron threads and 1 pinch cayenne pepper; you should have about 1.8 litres.

Step 4: Check the 1 ⅛ lb live mussels: throw away any with cracked shells, and any open ones that don't close when tapped firmly on the worktop.

Step 5: Add the 1 ⅛ lb waxy potatoes to the boiling broth and cook for 12 minutes until almost tender. Add the thickest 2 ¼ lb firm white fish fillets (gurnard, monkfish, hake, sea bream) pieces (monkfish, gurnard) and simmer 3 minutes, then the thinner pieces and the mussels for 4–5 minutes more, covered.

Step 6: The fish is done when it is opaque all the way through and flakes easily; the mussels should be open. Throw away any mussels that stay shut. A common mistake is stirring now, which breaks the fish into shreds, so just shake the pot gently.

Step 7: Rub the toasted 1 baguette with the 1 garlic clove for rubbing. Serve the broth in warm bowls with the toasts topped with 5 ½ oz rouille (saffron-garlic mayonnaise), then bring the fish, mussels and potatoes to the table on a platter.