On the Vieux-Port (Old Port)
Le Miramar, Chez Loury and Bouillabaisse Turfu
Let’s start our tour with the city centre. A living testimony to the Marseille’s rich fishing and maritime history, the Vieux-Port still boasts several artisan fishermen’s stalls where you can admire the catch of the day. In the olden days, fishermen used to take unsold fish or fish that was unfit for sale home to make a fish soup. Today, this family dish has become a refined and even high-end speciality. You’ll find three bouillabaisse specialists around the Vieux-Port. The first, Le Miramar, is situated on Quai du Port. Respecting tradition is so important here that the restaurant is one of the founding members of the Bouillabaisse Charter, which lays down the essential ingredients of the bona fide Marseille bouillabaisse. For example, the genuine recipe must include several varieties of scorpionfish, plus spider fish and conger eel. It must also be served in two different dishes, one for the broth, the other for the fish. On the other side of the Vieux-Port, just opposite Le Miramar, you’ll find another long-established bouillabaisse specialist: Chez Loury. Here, each ingredient is carefully selected, from the little fish that lend the soup its unique flavour to the noble varieties filleted in front of the customer. In a completely different and less academic vein, inspired by street food codes, Bouillabaisse Turfu is set in a small street next to the Vieux-Port. The concept: a takeaway bouillabaisse that supports sustainable seafood cuisine.
