P
American
Louisiana Courtbouillon
A thick, roux-based, tomato-rich fish stew with deep red colour and a flavour that balances the sweetness of tomato, the depth of roux, the heat of cayenne, and the clean, firm flesh of whole fish fillets or steaks simmered directly in the sauce. Unlike gumbo, where proteins may vary wildly, courtbouillon is specifically a fish dish. Unlike étouffée, which is butter-rich and light, courtbouillon is tomato-rich and substantial. The finished stew should have enough body to serve over rice without pooling.
‹Swipe for the next dish›
I
The Market List
The benchmark for each ingredient, and who stocks it near you. Tap a stockist to go straight to the product.
120 ml
neutral oil or lard
for the roux
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
90 g
plain flour
for the roux
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
1 large
onion
finely diced
Your own market
2 stalks
celery
finely diced
Your own market
1 large
green bell pepper
finely diced
Your own market
4 cloves
garlic
finely chopped
Your own market
800 g
crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce
tinned
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
500 ml
fish stock
from bones and heads if fillets are used
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
1 tsp
cayenne pepper
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
2
bay leaves
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
1 tsp
dried thyme
Origin · FrancePurely Artisan Foods · San Diego →
30 ml
Worcestershire sauce
as per Lena Richard
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
900 g
redfish, drum, snapper, or catfish
bone-in steaks preferred; firm-fleshed, skin on
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
1 tsp
salt
plus more to taste
Your own market
To finish
4
green onions
tops only, thinly sliced
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
2
lemons
cut into wedges
Your own market
1
vinegar-based Louisiana hot sauce
served at the table
Your own market
To serve
600 g
long-grain white rice
steamed
Your own market
1 loaf
French bread
for sopping
Your own market
Each tap is counted, so the stockist sees the demand Provenance sends them.
II
The Method
1
Heat the oil or lard in a heavy-based pot over medium heat. Add the flour and stir constantly, scraping the base and sides of the pot, until the roux is a deep amber — darker than peanut butter, lighter than chocolate. This is a medium roux: it should smell nutty, not burnt. The colour is the guide.
2
Add the onion, celery, and green bell pepper to the hot roux all at once. The vegetables will spit and steam. Stir continuously until they soften into the roux and the mixture smells sweet and savoury rather than raw, about 8–10 minutes. Add the garlic and stir for a further 1–2 minutes until fragrant.
3
Add the crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce, stirring to incorporate fully with the roux-trinity base. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 20–30 minutes. The sauce is ready when it has darkened several shades, reduced visibly, and no longer smells of raw tomato — it should smell deep, slightly caramelised, and complex.
4
Add the fish stock, Worcestershire sauce, cayenne, bay leaves, thyme, and salt. Stir to combine. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook, uncovered, for a further 10 minutes, until the sauce has enough body to coat the back of a spoon.
5
Lay the fish steaks or fillets into the simmering sauce in a single layer. Do not stir. Cook gently at a low simmer for 15–20 minutes depending on thickness. The fish is done when it yields at the thickest point to gentle pressure and the flesh separates cleanly along its natural flake — it should be just falling apart at the edges while still holding form at the centre.
6
Taste the sauce and adjust salt and cayenne. Remove the bay leaves. Serve directly from the pot, ladled over steamed rice, with green onion tops scattered over each portion. Set lemon wedges and hot sauce on the table.
III
Quality Hierarchy
01
Reserve — Whole bone-in redfish steaks from a day-boat catch, cut to order. Roux carried to the far edge of medium amber in rendered leaf lard. Tomatoes from a single named San Marzano or Creole variety, crushed by hand. A day-old sauce, refrigerated overnight and gently reheated before the fish is added.
02
Estate — Wild-caught drum or snapper steaks, skin on. A good neutral oil for the roux. Quality tinned crushed tomatoes. Fish stock made from the bones and heads of the fish being cooked.
03
Market — Firm catfish steaks or thick snapper fillets. Commercial vegetable or seafood stock. Standard tinned crushed tomatoes. The sauce made and used the same day.
04
House — Any firm-fleshed fish steaks available — catfish, tilapia is inadvisable; drum or basa are preferable. Tinned tomato sauce in place of crushed tomatoes. Water in place of stock, accepted as a diminishment of body.
IV
Sensory Tests
◇Sight. The roux is a uniform deep amber with no pale streaks remaining; it shimmers rather than appearing dull or floury.
◇Smell. The cooked-down tomato sauce smells caramelised and deep, with no sharp raw-tomato acidity remaining after 20–30 minutes of reduction.
◇Sight. The finished sauce coats the back of a spoon thickly enough that a finger drawn through it leaves a clean line that holds.
◇Touch. The fish yields to gentle pressure at its thickest point and the flesh separates along its natural flake without resistance, but still holds form rather than dissolving.
◇Where it lives or dies. The roux must reach true medium colour — deep amber, not blonde, not chocolate — for if it is too pale the sauce will be starchy and flat, and if it is taken too dark it will compete with and overwhelm the tomato that is the structural pillar of the dish.
Pillar V
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VI
What to Pour
The pairing
Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Buffalo Trace Distillery · Kentucky Bourbon Country
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Whisky
From British Columbia
Nothing from British Columbia holds against this yet.
Without alcohol
No pour without alcohol holds against this yet.
Why each one works is part of membership — Enter · from $49 a year →
The whole pairingPillar VII
Origin and lineage are part of membership.
Where the dish comes from and how it came to be — on every recipe.
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