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Mermaid Seafood Fideua
Mermaid Fideua! The first time I tried this dish — thin broken noodles, toasted until golden brown, then cooked to perfection in a redolent stock fortified with shellfish, onions, and garlic and tossed together with rich, salty pork (optional!) and fresh seafood — was in Barcelona with my husband. Our skin still salty from the sea, we raced over hot sand into one of the many beachside cafes where these wonderfully varied and personal paella-style (sub noodles for rice) dishes come flying from the kitchens, beckoning you to order a stinging cold bottle of white wine or equally well-iced beers and tuck into a gloriously savory, sumptuous, over the top mermaid meal. File this recipe away under summertime entertaining with a side of wanderlust, no passport needed.
PS. I always feel the need to qualify that my recreated travel recipes are taste memories!! I claim no authenticity, but I do claim epic deliciousness, so do with that what you will.
Mermaid Seafood Fideua
Prep time: 25 minutes
Cook time: 35 minutes
Serves: 4 to 6
INGREDIENTS
For the Broth:
½-pound large shell on shrimp
1 yellow onion, cut into wedges
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
Kosher salt, to taste
Pinch saffron threads
Fideua Recipe:
12-ounces angel hair pasta or fideus noodles, angel hair pasta broken into 1 ½-inch pieces
2 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided, plus additional as needed
½ pound calamari tubes and tentacles, tubes sliced into ½-inch thick rounds
4 large prawns with heads, optional
½ pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined from the stock
1/3 cup hard chorizo, diced
1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
Pinch cayenne pepper
2 medium ripe tomatoes, diced (about 1 ¼ cups)
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
1 lemon zested, to garnish and cut into wedges to serve
Easy Aioli:
1 large pasteurized egg
Zest and juice from ½ lemon (about ½ teaspoon zest and 1 tablespoon juice)
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 garlic cloves, grated
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
½ cup grapeseed oil
Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
For the Shrimp Stock:
•Peel the large shrimp, keeping the tails on and placing the shells into a medium saucepan. Add the onion and black peppercorns and cover the shells with 4 cups of water. Bring to a simmer and allow the shells to simmer in the water for 10 minutes.
•Meanwhile devein the shrimp. Carefully run a paring knife down the back of the shrimp minimally cutting into the surface. Remove the black vein that is exposed and discard. Repeat with the remaining shrimp.
•Season the stock with salt then strain the stock through a fine mesh sieve, pressing on the shells with a wooden spoon to extract any more liquid and flavor. Crumble the saffron into the hot stock and set the stock aside for cooking (you should have about 3 ½ cups).
Fideua Recipe:
•Adjust the oven rack to a few inches away from the broiler and we will preheat a little later in the recipe. Break the pasta noodles into 1 1/2-inch pieces using your hands over a large bowl (this is a little messy, so be sure you have a large bowl underneath you!).
•Heat a large heavy bottomed 12-inch saute pan or cast enamel pan over medium heat and add 1/2 tablespoon olive oil. Toast the noodles in two batches in the oil until they turned golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes per batch. Remove the toasted noodles to a bowl and repeat with the second batch of noodles, adding more olive oil as needed. Remove the second batch of noodles to the bowl and set aside. Carefully wipe out any remaining noodles from the pan so they don’t burn later.
•Add another ½ tablespoon olive oil to the pan and place over medium-high heat. Add the calamari and cook for 2 minutes until almost cooked all the way through. Season with salt and remove to a plate.
•Add another ½ tablespoon olive oil to the pan as well as the prawns and the shrimp and cook for about 2 minutes per side until the shrimp are almost cooked through, season with salt and pepper. Remove the shrimp and prawns to the plate with the calamari.
•Add any additional olive oil as needed and add the chorizo (if it seems like the browned bits on the bottom of the pan are beginning to burn, just add a splash of water or stock and continue cooking). Allow the chorizo to cook for 2 to 3 minutes until it begins to render some fat then add the onion and garlic. Continue to cook until the onions are softened and lightly golden, 4 to 5 minutes. Season with salt.
•During the last couple minutes of the onions cooking, add the smoked paprika and cayenne and allow to toast for the remaining minute. Deglaze the pan with the seafood stock, scraping up all of the browned bits, and bring to a simmer.
•Meanwhile, preheat the broiler to high heat. Once the stock has come to a simmer, add the noodles back into the pan with the tomatoes and toss with the onion and chorizo.
•Reduce the heat to medium and continue to simmer the noodles in the stock and tossing with tongs continuously for about 3 to 4 minutes until the noodles are al dente (there may be a little bit of crispy bits on the tops of the noodles and that’s good!).
•During the last minute of cooking, nestle in the prawns, then scatter the shrimp and calamari over the top of the noodles. Place the saute pan underneath the broiler.
•Allow to broil for about 3 minutes (watch carefully as all broilers vary!) until the seafood is fully cooked and the noodles on top are lightly toasted.
•Carefully remove the hot pan from the oven and garnish with parsley, lemon zest, and a big squeeze of lemon juice. Allow the fideua to rest for 5 minutes then serve with aioli on the side.
For the Aioli:
•In a high-speed blender or a food processor fitted with the blade attachment, combine the egg, lemon juice, mustard, and garlic and blend until smooth. With the blender on low, slowly stream in the olive oil and grapeseed oil until emulsified and thickened.
•Transfer to a small bowl, stir in the lemon zest, and season with salt and pepper. If the sauce is too thick, add 1 to 2 teaspoons warm water.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
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