Bourride Corse — Corsican Aioli-Thickened Fish Soup

Corsica — coastal preparation, related to Sétoise and Provençal bourride but with Corsican olive-oil and maquis aromatic base.

Corsican bourride (bourride corsa) is the richer counterpart to aziminu — a white fish broth thickened at the last moment with an aioli made from Corsican olive-oil, garlic, and egg yolk, producing a cream-coloured, velvety soup that is simultaneously a fish course and a sauce. The broth base is more refined than aziminu: whole fish carcasses and heads simmered with maquis aromatics for thirty minutes, strained, and reserved; firm white-fleshed species (loup de mer, dorade) poached gently in the strained broth for eight minutes, then removed. The cooking broth is returned to a low heat and the aioli — whisked separately — is added in a thin stream with constant stirring, thickening the soup by emulsification rather than starch. The result must not boil after the aioli is incorporated or the emulsion breaks and the olive-oil separates. Served with the poached fish on top, pain de châtaigne rubbed with garlic on the side.

Cream-white aioli-thickened broth; Corsican olive-oil richness; garlic dominant; poached fish textural contrast; maquis aromatic backbone.