Chef Isabel
All i Pebre d'Anguila
All i pebre is Valencian marsh-country spoon food: eel, garlic, sweet pimentón, and cracked potatoes cooked in water until the starch and picada turn the broth glossy and deep red.
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All Cremat de Vilanova
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All Cremat de Vilanova is Catalan boat cooking: garlic taken dark in olive oil, then tomato, fish stock, and firm fish, no potato, just a broth with nerve.
Soups & Stews
Spanish
Comfort Food
One Pot
Budget Friendly
20 min
Active Time
45 min cook•1 hr 5 min total
Yield4 servings
All Cremat de Vilanova is Catalan, from the coast around Vilanova i la Geltru, and it is a fish stew built on garlic taken almost too far. That is what makes it this dish and not a softer suquet from the next port. No potato here. The broth stays clean, sharp with the sea, and the dark garlic gives it depth without making it heavy.
The method that decides it is the garlic. Slice it, cook it in olive oil until it turns deep chestnut at the edges, then stop before it goes black. Burnt in the name does not mean bitter. It means dark, sweet, a little smoky, with the raw bite cooked out. Add the tomato right then and let it catch the oil, because tomato stops the garlic and pulls the whole base together.
Use the fish your market gives you: monkfish, hake, sea bass, cod, or another firm white fish that will hold in pieces. If you can get small rockfish for stock, good. If not, make a quick stock with fish bones and shells, or use a light unsalted fish stock from the shop and be careful with salt. No hace falta haber pisado España. What you need is fresh fish, real olive oil, and the nerve to let the garlic go dark. Siempre sale, si lo sigues.
In the Margin beside this one I wrote only one warning: do not wander off while the garlic cooks. It goes from right to ruined while you are looking for a spoon.
All Cremat belongs to the fishermen's cooking of Vilanova i la Geltru on the Catalan coast, where boat cooks built quick, strong stews from garlic, tomato, oil, and the fish that came back in the nets. Its name means burnt garlic, but the skill is in stopping the garlic at dark brown, before bitterness takes over. Unlike potato-thickened suquets found along other Catalan ports, the Vilanova version is remembered as a cleaner fish stew, with the broth carrying the dark garlic and the fish doing the rest.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
firm white fish fillets or steaks
Quantity
800g
cut into 5cm pieces
light fish stock
Quantity
1.2 litres
preferably homemade and unsalted
extra virgin olive oil
Quantity
80ml
garlic cloves
Quantity
12 large
peeled and thinly sliced
ripe tomatoes
Quantity
250g
grated, skins discarded
sweet pimenton
Quantity
1 teaspoon
dried nora pepper (optional)
Quantity
1 small
soaked, flesh scraped
dry white wine
Quantity
120ml
bay leaf
Quantity
1
fine sea salt
Quantity
8g, plus more to taste
black pepper
Quantity
to taste
flat-leaf parsley (optional)
Quantity
1 tablespoon
chopped
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| firm white fish fillets or steakscut into 5cm pieces | 800g |
| light fish stockpreferably homemade and unsalted | 1.2 litres |
| extra virgin olive oil | 80ml |
| garlic clovespeeled and thinly sliced | 12 large |
| ripe tomatoesgrated, skins discarded | 250g |
| sweet pimenton | 1 teaspoon |
| dried nora pepper (optional)soaked, flesh scraped | 1 small |
| dry white wine | 120ml |
| bay leaf | 1 |
| fine sea salt | 8g, plus more to taste |
| black pepper | to taste |
| flat-leaf parsley (optional)chopped | 1 tablespoon |
Equipment Needed
- •Wide cazuela de barro or heavy saute pan, 28 to 30cm
- •Box grater for the tomatoes
- •Fish spatula or wide spoon
Instructions
- 1
Salt the fish
Pat the fish dry and season it with about half the salt and a little black pepper. Let it sit while you build the base. This short rest firms the surface just enough so the pieces hold together in the broth.
- 2
Darken the garlic
Warm the olive oil in a wide cazuela or heavy saute pan over medium-low heat. Add the sliced garlic in one even layer and cook, moving it often, until the slices turn deep chestnut at the edges, 4 to 6 minutes. Do not let them go black. This is the dish: dark garlic gives sweetness and depth, black garlic gives bitterness and a scolding.
- 3
Catch with tomato
The moment the garlic is dark enough, add the grated tomato and the nora flesh if using. It will spit, so stand back. Cook 8 to 10 minutes, scraping the pan, until the tomato loses its raw smell and the oil begins to show at the edges. Stir in the pimenton for 10 seconds only, just until it smells warm.
- 4
Build the broth
Pour in the white wine and let it bubble hard for 2 minutes. Add the fish stock, bay leaf, and the remaining salt. Bring it to a lively simmer and cook uncovered for 12 to 15 minutes, until the broth tastes joined and the garlic has softened into the tomato. Taste before the fish goes in; stock can be salty, and fish will not forgive heavy hands.
- 5
Poach the fish
Lower the heat so the broth moves gently, then slide in the fish pieces in a single layer. Spoon broth over the top, cover partly, and cook 5 to 8 minutes, depending on thickness, until the fish is just opaque and flakes with pressure. Do not boil it hard or stir it about; shake the pan by the handles if you need to settle the pieces.
- 6
Rest and serve
Take the cazuela off the heat and let it rest 5 minutes. Remove the bay leaf, taste the broth, and correct salt only if it needs it. Finish with parsley if you use it, and serve in shallow bowls with bread for the broth. No potato. That is not forgetfulness, that is the Vilanova way.
Chef Tips
- •Use firm white fish. Monkfish is excellent because it stays in pieces, hake is very Catalan and softer, cod works if it is fresh and thick. Thin fillets fall apart before the broth is ready.
- •A homemade fish stock from bones, heads, and a few shells is best, cooked only 25 minutes so it stays clean. If you use shop-bought stock, choose unsalted or low-salt and taste before adding all the salt.
- •The garlic is not a background flavor here. Slice it evenly and stay beside the pan. Pale garlic gives you a thin stew; black garlic gives you bitterness. Deep brown is the line.
- •Do not add potato to this Vilanova version. Other Catalan fish stews may use it, and good for them. This one wants a broth you can spoon, not a thickened pot.
Advance Preparation
- •Make the fish stock up to 2 days ahead and keep it covered in the refrigerator, or freeze it for up to 2 months.
- •Grate the tomatoes and slice the garlic up to 2 hours ahead, but keep them separate. The stew itself is best cooked just before serving, because fish toughens when reheated.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 560g)
Calories
400 calories
Total Fat
22 g
Saturated Fat
3 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
18 g
Cholesterol
100 mg
Sodium
1050 mg
Total Carbohydrates
10 g
Dietary Fiber
2 g
Sugars
2 g
Protein
40 g
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