After six months over here in the upper left hand corner, I decided it was about time for a visit home. I have to say, a week was clearly not enough time to catch up with all the friends, family, and food that I wanted to, but there were plenty of memorable meals and outings to tide me over until my next visit!
Upon my arrival, my dining public had a list of demands. By dining public, I mean my parents and my aunts. They are a small but enthusiastic and vociferous bunch!
First up, Fideua.
Fideua is a variation on a Spanish seafood paella in which you switch out the rice for noodles. The story goes that somebody was hosting a paella party somewhere in Spain in the 1960s and ran out of rice. They ran to their pantry and found fideos, the noodle nests used in many Spanish and Cuban soups. They crushed up the noodles, dropped them in the pan and fideua was born .
I actually prefer this preparation to the traditional paella. It’s lighter and requires less effort than the original, so it’s nice to make for a crowd at home. I also have an aversion to any paella not made by someone I know who is good at making it, but I think that’s just because I’m spoiled by knowing so many good home cooks.
Anyway, here it is. Recipe from Penelope Casas’ The Food and Wines of Spain. If you love Spanish food, you MUST get this book. See notes for my additions and adaptations.
3/4 lb halibut steak cut in 1.5 inch cubes
Coarse salt
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 lb small shrimp, shelled
1/4 lb large shrimp, unshelled
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
2 medium tomatoes skinned and chopped
6 cups fish broth
Few strands saffron
3/4 pound noodle nests
12 small clams
12 small mussels
Sprinkle the halibut with salt and let it sit for 10 minutes. Heat the oil in a metal paella pan and saute all the shrimp until they just turn pink. Reserve the shrimp. Add the halibut cubes to the pan and saute lightly for a minute or so and add the garlic, paprika, cayenne, and tomato. Add the fish stock and saffron and bring to a boil. Add the noodle nests, breaking each one into 3 parts. Season with salt and cook, uncovered and stirring occasionally for 3 minutes. Add the clams and mussels and continue cooking until the noodles are no longer soupy, but some liquid remains. Stir in the reserved small shrimp and arrange the unshelled shrimp on top. Transfer to a 350 degree oven and bake for 10 minutes. Turn up the heat to 450 degrees and bake for another 5 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed and the noodles are crusty around the edges.
Notes:
If you can’t find the noodle nests, you can break up some spaghetti or vermicelli noodles.
If they are in season, I like to add some small scallops and a lobster tail or two.
You don’t absolutely need to use halibut if you can’t find it. Just make sure you use a fresh, white-fleshed fish. I’ve made this with grouper, dolphin, yellowtail, and fresh cod and it has always turned out well.
I like to add some chopped Italian parsley and lemon slices on top before I put it in the oven. It looks pretty and the lemon adds a nice acidity to the dish.
You can also add some diced Spanish chorizo when you saute the shrimp. Only use one or two small chorizos, as any more will overpower the taste of the seafood.
You can get The Foods and Wines of Spain here.
dispatches from a tiny kitchen 