The flavourful, southern French fish soup-stew is a knockout way of using up cheap cuts, trimmings and bones

Thrifty cooking has existed since cooking began. It is thought that Upper Palaeolithic tribes practised food storage techniques, preserving foraged seasonal gluts to eat year round. Fast-forward 40,000 years, and some of those techniques, such as fermentation and air-drying fruit and meat, are still in use.

In fact, many of the world’s finest cuisines are based on the zero-waste peasant dishes of yesteryear. For example, the quintessential French coq au vin transforms tough old roosters into a succulent braised meat. Bouillabaisse, too, is thought to have originated as a way for fishermen and chefs to use the under-loved or hard-to-prepare fish left over from the day’s catch.

Today’s recipe goes back to those roots, clearing the fish counter of small, ugly, yet affordable fish, or even just trimmings, heads, tails and bones. The fisherman and butcher’s secret is that such foods aren’t just cheaper, but often more full-flavoured.

Bouillabaisse

To get the full, economical and extremely tasty benefits of this recipe, don’t use seabass and lobster; instead, think thrifty and see what more affordable fish or skeletons the fishmonger has to sell you. Fish heads, with their cheeks and collar, are flavourful and gelatinous, and impart a wonderful texture to a soup. And spines and tails often have a generous amount of meat left on them that can be picked off and served alongside the soup. When eating fish, always check its sustainability by using the Marine Conservation Society’s Good Fish Guide.

Serves 4

4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 onion, peeled and roughly chopped

1 tomato, chopped, or 1 tbsp tomato puree

1 garlic clove, peeled and roughly chopped

1 fennel top (stalks and frond), roughly chopped, or a pinch of dried fennel herb

1 bay leaf

1 pinch saffron

1 large sprig parsley, leaves picked, stalk reserved and finely chopped

1 crab shell (optional)

1kg assorted fish bones, including tails and heads (gills removed), or 500g whole fish (gills removed)

4 slices stale bread (baguette or sourdough), to serve

Heat the oil in a large, thick-based saucepan over a medium heat.

Add the onion, tomato, garlic, fennel, bay leaf, saffron and the chopped parsley stalk. Saute gently for five minutes .

Add the crab shell, if using, and the fish skeletons, cover with boiling water bring to a rolling boil and cook for 10 minutes. Lift out the fish with a slotted spoon, and pick any meat from it on to a plate.

Strain the soup mixture through a fine sieve into a hot pan, then ladle into bowls over the toast. Sprinkle with parsley leaves and serve with the meat on the side.

• Tom Hunt’s new book, Eating for Pleasure, People & Planet, is published by Kyle Books (£26 hardback) on 19 March. To pre-order a copy for £21.84, go to guardianbookshop.com