When I was looking for a recipe for this traditional fish soup from Marseille I decided on doing a variation of a recipe from Antony Worrall Thompson from the BBC program Food and Drink:http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/database/bouillabaisse_6973.shtml
You never have all the ingredients or do it exactly as they say but you have to have a jumping off point. The thing that struck me most when looking at different recipes was that most included all or one of the following: fennel, fennel seeds and Pernod (French anise flavored liqueur - not expensive - buy some!) It's so subtle you don't really recoginize but it's that taste of licorice or anise that's essential to bouillabaise.
I made a fish stock with some of the heads - you could mix roasted chicken parts in as well and no one would notice. Don't forget the leeks and the saffron - they're also kind of a must.
I love to use fresh shellfish - it just makes it all look so damn good. I've made it now 3 or 4 times and it keeps getting better. We live on the coast near shellfish growers so shellfish is not hard to get and not that expensive.
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