All i Pebre d'Anguila

All i pebre d'anguila is Valencian, from the marsh country of l'Albufera: eel cut thick, plenty of garlic, sweet pebre roig, potatoes cracked into the broth, and a picada pounded at the end to pull it together. It is cocina de cuchara, spoon food, not a coastal fish stew painted red. No tomato sofrito here. No stock. The eel gives gelatin, the potatoes give body, and the garlic and paprika give the name.

The step that decides it is the pimentón. Let the garlic go only pale gold, pull the cazuela from the heat, stir in the paprika for a few seconds, and add the water before it catches. Burn that paprika and the whole pot tastes bitter. Treat it gently and the broth goes brick red, glossy, and sweet, with the potatoes breaking at the edges just enough to thicken it.

If you're far from Valencia and no eel is coming through your market, ask first for cleaned conger eel in center cuts, or use monkfish tail in thick chunks. Conger keeps more of the gelatin; monkfish gives you the firm bite but less richness, so the picada has to do more work. No hace falta haber pisado España. You need a wide pot, good pimentón, and the patience not to rush the base.

My margin note for this one is plain: water is right here. The eel, garlic, and potatoes make their own broth. Siempre sale, si lo sigues.