FISH DISHES FROM PROVENCE

Long wooden tables are set among flowering vines. The ratatouille and tapenade are ready with a firm roséin the glass beside them. You can smell the pine trees here. This is Provence. It is the place where Mediterranean cuisine was invented, where people stay fit into old age through their diet of lots of fresh fish and vegetables. Here you will find various treasures from the sea, flowering rosemary, zucchini flowers, saffron, wild fennel and local goat cheese.

One of the most famous and popular dishes from this region in southern France is bouillabaisse. It is a classic fish soup made with different types of fish and other ingredients such as potatoes, onions, garlic and wine. The dish originated in the port city of Marseille and is still prepared and served with great pride and passion.

Originally, bouillabaisse (bouillir means boil and abaisser temper) was a dish of poor fishermen. After fishing along the rocks of the Calanques, they cooked the unsold harvest in a kettle of seawater and poured the juice over slices of stale bread. Over time, a neater version of this dish evolved, with fish stock and more upscale fish such as cockles, salmon, mussels, squid and cod. The old slices of bread were replaced with toasted baguettes (croutons) topped with a dip of rouille, a spicy Provençal mayonnaise made from garlic, bread dough, olive oil and fish stock.

Jeroen van Gansewinkel (38) is head chef at Van der Valk Het Arresthuis in Roermond and came up with the recipes for the new spring season: 'This bouillabaisse is a delicious meal soup. Enjoy the aromas that are released and drink a glass of Bandol or Cassis with it, for example.'

Another typical local dish, originating from Nice, is pissaladière. This onion pie is a kind of pizza with Mediterranean influences. Jeroen: "The combination of the sweet caramelized onions and the saltiness of the anchovies and olives is a delicious mouthful.

One of the typical Provencal fish dishes from our own hotel in Provence, Hotel Saint-Aygulf, is the sea bass in salt crust. A spectacular dish because you break the salt crust at the table with a knife. The preparation, on the other hand, is simple. What you need is a fresh, preferably wild sea bass, coarse salt and a healthy pinch of enthusiasm. The beauty of this recipe is that the flavor of the fish is superbly preserved. In short, with these dishes you will taste spring on your plate!