Fideos a la Marinera Catalanes

Fideos a la marinera are Catalan coast cooking, a cazuela of thick noodles, seafood, and fish broth that stays caldoso, loose enough for a spoon. This is not fideuà from Gandia, and it is not a dry noodle paella. Here the noodles drink the broth but don't take it all. That is the dish.

The method that decides it is the sofrito, the slow onion and tomato base. Cook it low until the onion is dark gold and sweet, the tomato has lost its water, and the ñora gives the oil a deep brick colour. Rush that base and the broth tastes thin, no matter how much seafood you bought. Then toast the fideos briefly in it, so they take the flavour before the stock goes in.

If you are far from a Catalan fish market, no hace falta haber pisado España. Use a good fish stock made from shells and white fish bones, or a clean bought seafood stock if that is what you have. Use squid, clams, and mussels if you can; prawns can stand in for part of the shellfish, but they make it sweeter. Keep the noodles thick and the finish spoonable. Siempre sale, si lo sigues.

In the Margin beside this one I keep only one warning: do not boil the shellfish to death. Add them at the end, cover the cazuela, and let them open just as the noodles finish. The sea should taste clear, not tired.