FISH AND SEAFOOD NOODLES PAELLA (FIDEUÁ)

We are back to the kitchen to cook and share with you a great recipe you will really like, Fish and Seafood Noodles Paella, Fideua as we call it in Spain. If you follow all the steps, you will really succeed. Have a very nice meal :-)

Difficulty: Moderate
Preparation Time: 90 minutes
Serves: 4 people

INGREDIENTS:
For the Stir-fry Sauce:
* 1 White Onion, finely diced
* ½ Red pepper, finely diced
* 1 Green pepper, finely diced
* 2 or 3 Cloves of garlic, diced
* Extra Virgin Olive oil

For the Fish Broth – Yields 6 1/2 cups (1 1/2 liters):
* Shrimp shells and heads (from those used in the stew)
* 1 Small Rockfish
* ½ White Onion
* 1 Green pepper, roughly chopped
* 1 Bunch Parsley
* 1 Tomato

For the stew:
* 1 1/16 Cups (250 mg) Small macaroni, straight or elbow (nº 2 “Fideos Gallo”)
* 1 Tablespoon sweet paprika
* Some strands of saffron
* 8-9 oz. (¼ kilo) of baby squids
* 1 1/8 lb. (½ kilo) of king prawns (extra large shrimp), peeled, but reserve one or two per diner to garnish the plate
* 3 or 4 Tablespoons homemade tomato sauce
* 2 1/8 cups (500 ml) water
* 1 1/16 cups (125 ml) White wine
* Extra Virgin Olive oil
* Salt and ground black pepper

For the ground herbs (picada)
* 2 cloves of garlic
* Chopped parsley
* Salt
* Some Black pepper corns
* Some olive oil

Homemade Garlic Sauce:
*    1 egg
*    1 Clove of garlic
*    Extra Virgin Olive Oil
*    Chopped Parsley
*    Juice from half a lemon
*    Salt

WAY OF COOKING:

* To start with, we are going to prepare the fish stock.  Add to a cooking pot 6½ cups (1½ liters) water, the rock fish, the skin and the heads of the shrimp (king prawns), (we are going to keep some to decorate at the very end), the onion and the roughly chopped green pepper, the parsley and the tomato.  We let it boil for half an hour. We strain the broth and set aside for later.

* Then we are going to prepare the Stir-fry sauce (Sofrito), and in the paella pan we add some olive oil and we are going to sauté lightly the whole king prawns, one or two per person, that we set aside to decorate our fideua paella.  Remove from the pan and we keep them for decorating.

* We add the finely diced (brunoise style) onion and sauté it, and then the diced cloves of garlic.  Now we add the finely diced (brunoise style) green and red pepper too.  We add the tomato sauce, sauté it for 10 minutes and we add the sweet paprika and the saffron threads. We stir it a bit.

* Then, it is the moment to add the cleaned baby squids (puntillitas or chipirones) to the stir-fry.  During cleaning ensure the quill is removed.  We then stir it and add the White wine.  We cook on Medium Heat for a while so that the alcohol evaporates and then add 2 cups (1/2 Liter) of the fish broth.  We keep on cooking until the squid gets tender, or for about 15 minutes.

* After this time we add the macaroni, which we have previously slightly toasted in a pan, we stir it and then add a bit more broth.  Reserve the remaining broth in the freezer if you’re not going to use it within a day or two.  We let the fideua cook for 5 minutes on High heat and then we put the paella pan into a preheated oven at 355 degrees F (180 degrees C) for ten more minutes.  Then we take it out of the oven and let it rest (we cover with aluminium foil until we take it to the table).

* While the fideua paella is in the oven, we’re going to prepare the homemade garlic sauce and the ground herbs.

* For the homemade garlic sauce, add the egg, the clove of garlic, the salt and juice from half a lemon to a hand mixing cup or blender.  Add a stream of olive oil as you blend, a total of about 1 cup (250 ml), using an electric hand blender or blend in the blender until the mixture thickens and stiffens.  Serve in a separate dish to accompany the fideua paella. 

* For the ground herbs, we are going to use a mortar and pestle to grind all the ingredients.  Once the fideua is removed from the oven, add the ground herb mixture, spread it on the stew and we stir it a bit, to distribute the flavor.  You’ll see what great flavors the herbs will give to the fideua once all the ingredients are mixed together.  Garnish with the previously sautéed king prawn shrimp. 

And ready to sit down at the table and enjoy this great dish that we are certain that you will love. Have a great week :-)