Bouillabaisse De Marseille

In a soup kettle, saute onion and garlic in olive oil until golden.

Add tomatoes, parsley, bay leaf, thyme, fennel, saffron and ground pepper.

Simmer for a few minutes and add lobsters and fish.

Cut the fish, carefully cleaned and the lobsters, live, into 2-inch pieces.

Put the coarser fleshed fish in the kettle first, then the lobsters, then the rest of the fish.

Add the dry white wine and boiling water just to cover the fish.

Bring the liquid back to a boil and cook the bouillabaisse, covered, over very high heat for 15 minutes.

Add mussels, thoroughly scrubbed, 6 minutes before cooking time is up.

Serve in soup plates, from a tureen, with sliced French bread spread with garlic butter and toasted.

Serves 8.