Catalan Pasta and Seafood Paella
An unusual take on traditional seafood paella, this Catalan classic is made with fideos, thin noodles about the size of spaghettini or capelli d’angelo, but cut in 1- to 2-inch lengths. And it has a history—the word fideos is said to come from medieval Arabic fidawsh, which describes very similar noodles, suggesting that the shape and the ingredient, if not the recipe itself, may have been brought to Spain by Arabs during their seven-hundred-year hegemony over much of the Iberian peninsula. The recipe is a modern invention, some say specifically an invention of cooks in Valencia in the early twentieth century, but the technique of toasting pasta noodles in oil before adding liquid is quite possibly ancient—and, incidentally, unknown in Italy. Moreover, cooking the pasta in its sauce until it is somewhat more than al dente is a process that, in our experience, one would never find in Italy. Both these techniques may well go back to an Arab original in the kitchens of Moorish Spain.
The garlicky, saffrony aioli (or in Catalan, allioli) is a plus to add at the end when the fideuà is served. Some cooks suggest using an earthenware cassola, but we follow Chef Maria José San Román, who makes fideuà in a wide paella pan and takes the whole pan to the table at her Alicante restaurant, Monastrell.
If this looks complicated, don’t be daunted. A good plan of action is to start with the Fish Stock here. You will need about 5 cups and you can make it days or even weeks in advance and refrigerate or freeze it until you’re ready to use it. Make the sofrito and the salmorreta, two sauce bases that are typical of Catalan cuisine; bring the fish stock to a simmer; toast the noodles in olive oil; and you’re good to go.
Ñora peppers are a Spanish dried chili variety, not very hot but with a nice spicy fragrance. You can find them at Spanish food suppliers such as La Tienda (www.latienda.com), or substitute a dried New Mexico or ancho chili. Spanish paprika (pimentón) is also not very spicy; don’t confuse it with pimentón de la Vera, smoked paprika, unless you want a smoky flavor.
You could use the suggested seafood in any quantities, but the total should be about 1½ pounds of seafood, plus the clams and mussels. The seafood could be all shrimp, all squid (calamari), all firm-textured fish (swordfish and monkfish are ideal), or a mixture, depending on what’s fresh at your fishmonger’s.
SERVES 8 AS A STARTER, 6 AS A MAIN COURSE
1 red sweet pepper, finely chopped
½ medium yellow onion, finely chopped
About ¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 plump garlic cloves, sliced
1 dried ñora chili pepper, rinsed and chopped, seeds discarded
1 large ripe fresh tomato, peeled, seeded, and chopped
½ teaspoon sweet Spanish pimentón (see headnote)
¼ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon aged sherry vinegar
Sea salt
5 to 6 cups Fish Stock (here)
Pinch saffron threads
About 1 pound (500 grams) long, thin pasta (spaghettini or fedelini are ideal)
½ pound large shrimp, shells left on
½ pound cleaned squid, coarsely chopped
½ pound peeled shrimp, coarsely chopped
⅓ to ½ cup plain tomato sauce
12 or more cleaned mussels
12 or more cleaned Manila clams or cockles
1 cup Saffron-Orange Allioli (recipe follows), for serving
Prepare the sofrito: Chop together half the sweet pepper and all the onion to make a fine mince. Add to a saucepan with 3 to 4 tablespoons of the oil. Set over very low heat and leave to cook for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are thoroughly softened, melting in the oil but not browned. If they start to burn, add a very little boiling water to the pan. When done, set aside.
Prepare the salmorreta: Combine the garlic and 3 tablespoons of the oil in a skillet and cook over medium-low heat, until the garlic starts to take color. Remove the garlic with a slotted spoon and transfer to the bowl of a food processor. Add the chili pepper and the remaining ½ cup sweet pepper to the oil in the skillet. Return to medium-low heat and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the sweet pepper is softened. Remove the peppers with a slotted spoon and add to the garlic. Add the tomato to the oil in the skillet and cook over medium-low heat until the tomato has released its juices and completely softened. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the pimentón and chopped parsley. Scrape all this, including any remaining oil, into the food processor bowl. Add the sherry vinegar and process the salmorreta in spurts until it forms a thick but not very smooth paste. If the paste is too crumbly and dry, add a little more vinegar. Taste and add salt. If the paste is too thick, add a little more oil—it should be tart but not sour, and have a lumpy mayonnaise consistency.
Bring the fish stock to a simmer and let it continue simmering very gently while you prepare the rest of the recipe.
Add the saffron to ¼ cup very warm water and set aside to steep for at least 1 hour.
Set the oven on 300ºF.
Break the pasta into 1- to 2-inch lengths and spread in a sheet pan with slightly raised sides. Add 2 tablespoons of the oil and toss the noodles, using your hands, until they have absorbed the oil. Transfer to the preheated oven and toast the noodles for about 20 minutes, stirring once or twice, until they are golden. Remove from the oven and set aside.
To a paella pan or a similar wide skillet, add about ⅓ cup of the oil, enough to thoroughly coat the bottom of the pan. Add the large shrimp in their shells to the pan and cook over medium heat, turning frequently, until the shrimp are thoroughly pink. Remove and set aside.
Add the squid to the oil in the pan and cook over medium heat, tossing, until the squid are opaque. Stir in the chopped peeled shrimp and continue cooking and tossing. Once the shrimp are pink, stir in the tomato sauce, salmorreta, and sofrito. Add the saffron water and stir to mix well. Add the toasted pasta noodles and stir again.
As soon as the noodles have absorbed all the liquid, add 4 to 5 cups of simmering fish stock—you should be able to see the liquid bubbling around the other ingredients, but the noodles should be immersed in the liquid. Tuck in the mussels and clams, along with the reserved large shrimp. Stir well and let simmer on top of the stove until the noodles are very soft and the dish is a little soupy. Add a little more simmering fish stock if at any point it seems necessary. Once the pasta is done, the whole pan is sometimes run under a preheated hot broiler to toast and crisp the topmost layer, but in most kitchens this is not feasible.
Remove from the heat and let rest and settle for 5 minutes or so. Then serve right in its cooking pan, with the saffron-orange allioli offered separately, as a garnish.