Fideuà Negra Valenciana

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •38 to 42cm paellera
• •Small saucepan for hot stock
• •Box grater for tomato
• •Wooden spoon or flat spatula
• •Clean kitchen cloth for resting

Instructions

1. 1

   Warm the stock

   Bring the fish stock to a simmer in a small saucepan, then whisk in the cuttlefish or squid ink until it turns evenly black. Taste it. It should be well seasoned and marine, because the noodles will drink every bit of it. Keep it hot while you cook the base.

   If your stock is weak, reduce it for ten minutes before adding the ink. Water with ink is black, yes, but it is not fideuà negra.
2. 2

   Sear the seafood

   Set a 38 to 42cm paellera over medium-high heat and add 40ml of the olive oil. Salt the sepia lightly, then sear it for 4 to 5 minutes until it loses its water and starts to catch in golden patches. Add the prawns for 1 minute, just until the shells turn pink, then lift the prawns out to a plate and leave the sepia in the pan.

3. 3

   Cook the sofrito

   Lower the heat to medium, add the remaining 40ml olive oil, then add the onion with a pinch of salt. Cook it slowly for 10 to 12 minutes, scraping up the browned seafood bits, until the onion is dark gold and soft. Add the garlic for 1 minute, then the grated tomato, and cook until the tomato is thick, dark, and almost dry. This slow sofrito is where the sweetness comes from. Rush it and the whole pan tastes thinner.

4. 4

   Toast the noodles

   Stir in the pimentón for a few seconds, keeping it moving so it smells sweet and does not burn. Add the fideos and turn them through the oil and sofrito for 2 to 3 minutes, until they look glossy and a shade darker at the edges. Pésalo, no lo adivines: the noodle and stock measure is what gives you a dry finish instead of a black soup.

5. 5

   Add inked stock

   Spread the noodles and sepia evenly across the paellera. Pour in 850ml of the hot inked stock all at once, reserving 50ml only in case the pan runs dry too soon. Shake the pan once to level everything, then stop stirring. From here the noodles settle, cook, and form their little crusted bottom if you let them be.

6. 6

   Cook it dry

   Cook over a lively medium-high heat for 8 minutes, then lower to medium and cook 6 to 8 minutes more, until the liquid has disappeared and the noodles are just tender. Lay the prawns back on top for the final 3 minutes. If the noodles are still chalky and the pan is dry, add the reserved 50ml hot stock around the edge, not over the top.

7. 7

   Rest and serve

   When the pan is dry and you hear a faint crackle underneath, turn off the heat and cover the paellera loosely with a clean cloth for 5 minutes. The noodles finish settling in that rest. Serve from the pan with allioli on the side and lemon wedges if you like. Tal como se hace allí: the allioli sits beside the fideuà, not stirred through the whole pan.

Chef Tips

• •Use sepia if you can. It is sweeter and firmer than squid, and it gives the pan the right Valencian seafood depth. Squid is the honest substitute; cut it a little larger and sear it hard so it does not turn watery.
• •Buy ink in sealed packets if the fishmonger does not have fresh ink sacs. It stains everything and has real salinity, so season after tasting the inked stock, not before.
• •Short hollow fideuà noodles, often sold as fideo nº4, are the right shape. If you only find thinner fideo nº2, reduce the stock to about 780ml and start checking earlier, because they cook faster.
• •Allioli matters here. Garlic, olive oil, and salt, with egg if you make the easier home version. A spoon beside the black noodles is enough; mixing it into the whole paellera dulls the clean taste of the ink.
• •Do not add chorizo, cream, peas by habit, or a handful of herbs to make it cheerful. This is a Valencian seafood fideuà negra. Let it be black, glossy, and serious.

Advance Preparation

• •The fish stock can be made up to 2 days ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator, or frozen for up to 3 months. Keep it unsalted until you know how salty the ink is.
• •Clean and cut the sepia up to 1 day ahead, then keep it covered and cold. Pat it dry before it hits the pan or it will stew instead of sear.
• •Make the allioli a few hours ahead and keep it chilled. Bring it out 15 minutes before serving so the olive oil loosens and the garlic tastes rounder.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 450g)