Seafood Fideua

SEAFOOD FIDEUà

Steps:

• Boil the kettle. Empty the mussels into a colander and run under cold water. Throw away any with broken shells. Pick through the shells, tapping each one on the side of the sink - they should be closed or should slowly close when tapped - if they stay open, throw them away. If any of the shells still have barnacles or stringy beards attached, pull them off with a cutlery knife and rinse the shells well. Keep in the colander, covered with a cold, damp cloth, until you're ready to cook. Peel the prawn shells on the body section only - leave the heads and tails intact. Score down the backs and pull out any gritty entrails. Chill until you're ready to cook.
• Put the saffron in a small cup, cover with 50ml kettle-hot water and set aside for 10 mins. If using vermicelli, put in a bowl and crush to little pieces (about 1cm long) with your hands.
• Heat the oil in a large frying pan with at least a 3cm lip, or a 40cm paella pan. Add the onion and stir around the pan for 5 mins until soft. Add the garlic and cook for 1 min more, then tip in the vermicelli and cook for 5 mins, stirring from time to time, until the vermicelli is toasted brown. Stir in the paprika.
• Keeping the heat moderate, stir through the monkfish, squid and saffron with its water, seasoning well. Spread the ingredients out in an even layer, then pour over the hot stock and scatter the tomatoes on top. Bring to a simmer, then cover the whole dish with a tight-fitting lid (or foil). Turn the heat to medium and cook for 6 mins.
• Uncover and stir to incorporate the dry top layer of pasta. Push the mussels into the pasta so the hinges are buried in the bottom of the dish, and they stand straight up. Arrange the prawns on top, cover tightly and cook for another 6 mins or until the mussels are open, the prawns are pink and the pasta is cooked through. Leave to simmer for another 2-3 mins to cook off most of the remaining liquid (leave a little in the pan to prevent the pasta from sticking together). Allow to sit for 2-3 mins, then squeeze over the lemon juice and arrange the wedges on top. Scatter with parsley before serving.

CATALAN FIDEUà

Steps:

• Make the broth: Put 3 tablespoons olive oil in a heavy soup pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and sauté until softened and lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Add small shrimp, garlic, hot pepper, fennel, coriander, bay leaf and thyme. Season generously with salt and pepper, stir to coat and cook 2 minutes more.
• Stir in tomato paste and cook 5 minutes, until mixture begins to look dry. Add fish bones, clams, 1 pound mussels and 8 cups water; cover and bring to a boil. Uncover, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 45 minutes.
• Strain through a sturdy mesh sieve into another pot, pushing on solids with a wooden spoon. Discard solids and keep strained broth hot. Taste for salt. Broth should be well seasoned. (Can be made ahead, though eat it within 24 hours, or you can freeze it.)
• Make the fideuà: Heat oven to 375 degrees. Put fideus noodles in a large roasting pan or baking sheet. (If using Italian pasta, break it into 2-inch lengths first.) Pour 2 tablespoons olive oil over noodles and toss with hands to coat. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, turning with tongs if necessary, until noodles are golden brown. (May be done in advance.)
• Place a cazuela or wide heavy pot on the stove. Add toasted noodles, pressing down a bit. Ladle 3 cups hot broth over noodles and bring to a boil. Push down on the noodles with a wooden spoon as they soften into the broth. Add saffron-infused water and cook for a minute, then stir to mix. Add enough hot broth to cover pasta by 1 inch. Lower heat and cook at a simmer for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add more broth (and adjust heat) if mixture dries out.
• Scatter remaining 1 pound mussels over the top, then push them down until barely submerged. Cook 3 to 4 minutes, until shells open. Turn off heat. The noodles should be cooked but firm, and the mixture a little soupy.
• If using the large shell-on shrimp, season them and sauté in 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat for 2 minutes per side.
• Ladle into individual soup plates. Mix the parsley with the orange zest. Garnish fideus with shrimp, if using, the parsley mixture and a spoonful of allioli.

SEAFOOD FIDEUA

Steps:

• 1.> Preheat oven to 375°F. 2.> Pour oil into a heavy-bottomed skillet, over medium-low heat. Add all sofrito ingredients into skillet, except tomatoes, and stir. Season with salt and pepper. Allow mixture to caramelize for about 1½ hours, stirring occasionally. 3.> Stir in tomatoes and cook down an additional 30 minutes or until the mixture becomes thick. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and allow sofrito to cool completely. 4.> Pour stock and saffron into a medium saucepan, place over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Poach seafood in the saffron-infused stock, one type at a time, until shrimp and octopus have just cooked through and the clams and mussels have just opened. Remove from stock and set aside, covered. 5.> Pour oil into a 14"-16" paella pan (or heavy-bottomed skillet) and place over medium-high heat. Brown longaniza for about 1-2 minutes and remove from pan. Set aside. 6.> Drain all but 2 tablespoons of grease from pan and add fideo, longaniza and ¼ cup sofrito to pan and season with salt and pepper. Stir together and sauté for about 2 minutes. 7.> Pour hot stock over fideo mixture and bring to a boil. Once mixture has come to a boil, add octopus back into pan (gently tucking each piece down into fideo mixture). Lower heat to medium-low and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until all the liquid has evaporated and fideo has cooked through. Uncover, raise heat to high and cook for 3-4 minutes to create socarrat, or crispy, golden crust. 8.> Remove from heat and top with remaining poached seafood (warm seafood slightly, if needed). Finish with a sprinkle of tarragon and lemon wedges. Serve.