Red Pepper Rouille

Red pepper rouille is the rust-colored Provençal sauce that turns a bowl of fish soup or grilled chicken into something French. Roasted red peppers puree with garlic, basil, dijon, and a touch of chili powder, then olive and vegetable oils drizzle in to create a thick, mayonnaise-like emulsion you’ll want to spoon over everything.

Fresh breadcrumbs go in at the end to thicken and stabilize the sauce. They absorb the oil that the egg yolks alone couldn’t fully bind, giving the rouille that classic spreadable texture instead of a thin pourable one.

Serve over grilled or broiled fish (especially salmon or sea bass), brushed onto chicken, or stirred into bouillabaisse. It also makes the world’s best dip for crusty bread or crudité. Keeps three days in the fridge.

Pro Tips

• Drizzle the oils slowly with the motor running. Adding the oil too fast breaks the emulsion and you end up with greasy soup instead of creamy sauce.
• Use roasted peppers from a jar in a pinch (drained well), but freshly roasted peppers give a deeper, smokier flavor. Char them under the broiler until blackened, then steam in a covered bowl to slip the skins off easily.
• Use only fresh, soft breadcrumbs, not dried. Dried crumbs absorb too much oil and turn the sauce pasty.
• Bring the sauce to room temperature before serving. Cold rouille tastes flat. Twenty minutes on the counter wakes up the flavors.

Variations

• Add a teaspoon of saffron threads bloomed in warm water for the most traditional bouillabaisse version.
• Stir in a tablespoon of harissa for a North African twist with deeper heat.
• Use smoked paprika in place of chili powder for a more pronounced smoky character.