Fideos a la Marinera Catalanes

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Wide cazuela de barro, flame-safe cassola, or heavy shallow pot, 30cm
• •Small mortar and pestle for the picada
• •Fine brush or small knife for cleaning shellfish

Instructions

1. 1

   Purge the shellfish

   Put the clams in cold water with 30g salt per litre and leave them 30 minutes so they spit out sand. Scrub the mussels and pull away the beards. Throw away any cracked shellfish, and any open ones that do not close when tapped. Grit in the broth is a misery, and it is easy to prevent.

   Do not salt the stew heavily at the start. Clams, mussels, and stock all bring salt of their own, and you can correct it at the end.
2. 2

   Soften the ñora

   Cover the dried ñora with boiling water and leave it 15 minutes. Open it, discard the stem and seeds, and scrape the softened flesh from the skin with the back of a knife. If you cannot find ñora, use 1 teaspoon sweet smoked pimentón instead and know the flavour will be smokier and less round.

3. 3

   Brown the squid

   Warm 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a wide cazuela or heavy shallow pot over medium-high heat. Pat the squid dry, season lightly, and cook it for 2 to 3 minutes until it tightens and takes a little colour at the edges. Lift it out. If using prawns, sear them 1 minute per side and lift them out too; they will finish later.

4. 4

   Build the sofrito

   Lower the heat and add the remaining oil, onion, green pepper, and a pinch of salt. Cook slowly for 15 minutes, stirring often, until the onion is dark gold and jammy. Add 2 cloves of the garlic and cook 1 minute. Stir in the grated tomato, ñora flesh, pimentón, bay leaf, and saffron if using. Cook 12 to 15 minutes more, until the tomato is thick and the oil separates at the edges. This slow sofrito, the onion base, is where the sweetness comes from.

5. 5

   Toast the fideos

   Add the fideos to the sofrito and stir for 2 minutes, coating every noodle in the red oil. They should turn a shade darker and smell nutty, not brown hard. Pour in the white wine and let it bubble almost dry.

6. 6

   Simmer in stock

   Return the squid to the cazuela and pour in 1 litre of the hot stock, keeping 200ml back in case you need it. Stir once, taste the liquid for salt, and simmer uncovered over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, depending on the noodle. It should bubble steadily, not violently. Add a little reserved stock if the noodles are drinking too fast; this dish wants broth in the spoon.

7. 7

   Make the picada

   While the noodles cook, pound the toasted almonds, the remaining garlic clove, parsley, and a pinch of salt to a rough paste. This is the picada, the Catalan thickener and finish. Stir it into the cazuela when the noodles are nearly tender, so it gives body without turning the broth heavy.

8. 8

   Open the shellfish

   Lay the mussels, clams, and seared prawns if using over the top. Cover the cazuela and cook 3 to 5 minutes, just until the shells open and the prawns are firm. Discard any shells that stay closed. The noodles should be tender with a little bite, and the broth glossy, red-gold, and loose.

9. 9

   Rest and serve

   Turn off the heat and rest the cazuela 5 minutes. The fideos will keep drinking, so do not wait longer unless you like them thick. Remove the bay leaf, grind over a little black pepper, and serve in shallow bowls with broth, squid, and shellfish in each one. Tal como se hace allí: simple, coastal, and made to be eaten with a spoon.

Chef Tips

• •Use thick fideos, number 4 if you can. Thin vermicelli overcooks before the shellfish opens, and pasta shapes made for Italian soup do not drink the sofrito in the same way.
• •A good fish stock matters more than a grand pile of seafood. Simmer fish bones, prawn shells, onion, parsley stems, and a bay leaf for 25 minutes, then strain. Longer is not better; fish stock turns tired if you bully it.
• •If you cannot find ñora, use sweet pimentón de la Vera and a spoon of tomato paste. It is not the same, but it gives colour and depth in the direction a Spanish kitchen would choose.
• •Clams need purging and mussels need checking. Any shellfish that smells sour, has a broken shell, or refuses to close before cooking goes out. Nadie nace sabiendo, but nobody needs a bad clam teaching the lesson.
• •For make ahead, stop before adding the noodles. The sofrito and stock base can wait; cooked fideos cannot. Once the noodles go in, sit down and eat.

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.
• •Cook the sofrito up to 1 day ahead. Chill it covered, then warm it in the cazuela before adding the fideos and stock.
• •Purge clams the same day you cook them. Do not leave them soaking overnight; they lose their strength and the flavour suffers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 560g)