Fideuá Rápida de Marisco
Fideuá Rápida de Marisco·(fee-deh-WAH RAH-pee-dah deh mah-REES-koh)
El Domingo y La Sobremesa
Paella gets the glory, but fideuá is the true working-class hero of the Valencian coast. Born on fishing boats in Gandía out of pure necessity, it swaps rice for short, toasted noodles that drink up an obscene amount of savory marine broth. Boiling rockfish for hours is a weekend luxury, but you can get that exact, deeply unpretentious taste of a Spanish Tuesday night by fortifying a good boxed stock with your shrimp shells. Toast the dry noodles in olive oil until they smell like toasted nuts, let them drink that deeply savory broth, and blast them in a hot oven until they stand at attention—the true mark of a perfect fideuá.
Before you start
Whisk together the quick garlic alioli.
Mix the mayonnaise, grated garlic clove, and lemon juice in a small bowl. It is a weeknight shortcut for a true mortar-and-pestle alioli, but its sharp, creamy bite is absolutely mandatory to cut through the rich, briny noodles.
Ingredients
- boxed seafood stock4 cup
- large raw shrimp1 lb
- dry white wine1/2 cup
- extra virgin olive oil1/4 cup
- fresh squid tubes1/2 lb
- yellow onion1 med
- garlic3 med clove
- Roma tomato1 large
- sweet smoked paprika1 tsp
- saffron threads1 pinch
- fideo pasta or vermicelli10 oz
- kosher salt1 pinch
- high quality mayonnaise1/2 cup
- garlic1 small clove
- fresh lemon juice1 tsp
Method
- 01
Fortify the boxed seafood stock using the reserved shrimp shells.
Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat, sauté the shells for two minutes until bright pink, then pour in the white wine to cook off the alcohol. Add the stock, simmer for 15 minutes, and strain to create a quick, deeply marine fumet.
- 02
Preheat the oven to 450°F and quickly sear the seafood.
Heat the olive oil in a wide, heavy-bottomed, oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the shrimp for 30 seconds per side, remove to a plate, then sear the squid for one minute until opaque and remove; leave the intensely flavored oil in the pan.
- 03
Slowly sweat the onion to build the aromatic base.
Lower the heat to medium-low, add the diced onion, and gently coax out its sweetness for 6 to 8 minutes until translucent. Make a small well in the center, add the minced garlic, and cook for one minute until fragrant.
- 04
Stir in the smoked paprika off the heat, followed by the grated tomato.
Pull the skillet off the burner for 10 seconds so the paprika doesn't burn and turn bitter, then stir it in rapidly. Return to the heat, add the tomato pulp, and cook until the water evaporates into a thick, dark, jammy paste that separates from the oil.
- 05
Toast the dry noodles in the flavored oil.
Pour the dry fideos directly into the skillet and stir continuously for 3 to 4 minutes until they take on a deep, golden-brown, nutty color—this is the most crucial technique in the dish, so do not rush it.
- 06
Simmer the toasted noodles in the hot fumet.
Crush the saffron threads into the pan, pour in 3 cups of the hot broth, and give the skillet one gentle shake to distribute the noodles evenly into a flat layer. Simmer untouched over medium-high heat for 5 minutes until the liquid dips below the noodles, then arrange the reserved shrimp and squid over the top.
- 07
Blast the skillet in the hot oven to crisp the noodles.
Transfer the skillet to the preheated oven and bake for 3 to 5 minutes. The dry ambient heat will force the remaining moisture to evaporate rapidly, causing the noodle tips to curl upward and stand on end.
- 08
Let the fideuá rest before serving.
Remove the pan from the oven, cover with a clean kitchen towel for 5 minutes to let the starches settle, and serve directly from the center of the table.
From Cook Spanish in America.