Fideua (Spain)
Today, on World of Pasta, we are heading on over to Spain, best known for crispy patatas bravas dipped in aioli or elegant sharable tapas and big rice dishes such as paella, among may other delicacies. Sitting so close to Italy, it should be no surprise that Spain also has it’s own take on pasta, that coming in the form of Fideua (fee-day-wah), which is like paella but made with pasta instead of rice.
Fideua, much like paella, is classically made by frying the pasta a bit then submerging it in a saffron infused broth along with monkfish, clams and/or mussels, shrimp, and a ton of other goodies.
Today, I’m going to share with you a very classic recipe for fideua that will make you shout OLE!
I would like to state that there isn’t one locked in recipe for fideua as everyone has their own preferences, but I’m going to share the recipe that I felt works for my own taste.
Serves 4
6 cups fish stock
Olive oil
1 pound fideos or angel hair pasta, broken into roughly 2-inch pieces, doesn’t have to be perfect
1 onion, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp sweet paprika
A pinch of saffron (or 1/2 tsp turmeric)
1 (28oz) can crushed tomatoes
Salt and pepper
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
16 small bay scallops
Chopped parsley, for garnish
Lemon wedges, for serving
Garlic aioli*, for serving
*For the aioli, all you need to do is combine 3/4 cup mayonnaise, 3 grated garlic cloves, 2 1/2 tbsp lemon juice, and a pinch of salt and pepper. This can be done before you start cooking so the flavor can develop.
Heat the fish stock in a saucepan until it’s very hot, but not boiling.
Heat a thin layer of olive oil in either a paella pan or a wide Dutch oven over medium high heat until the oil starts shimmering. Add the pasta and fry for about 5 minutes, tossing frequently, until the pasta is golden brown. Remove from the pan and set aside.
In the same pan, add the onion and bell pepper, then cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent. Add the garlic, paprika and saffron, then cook for another minute, or until fragrant.
Add the tomatoes, and bring that up to a simmer. Stir in the pasta then add enough of the fish stock to cover. Add a pinch of salt and pepper to the whole thing, bring it to a simmer and let it cook over medium low for about 5 minutes, or until the pasta is almost al dente, adding more stock if necessary.
Scatter the shrimp and scallops among the top of the pan, then cover and cook for about 4 more minutes, or until everything is almost fully cooked. Uncover, and increase the heat to high and let it go for about 3 minutes, or until you hear a good amount of crackly sizzling at the bottom of the pan.
(Doing this creates a crispy layer of pasta at the bottom of the pan otherwise known as socarrot, and is arguably the best part of any fideua or paella)
Scatter the top with parsley and serve with lemon wedges and garlic aioli.
