Fideua Spanish Noodle Recipes

FIDEUA - SPANISH NOODLE RECIPE

Steps:

• Scrub and clean your shellfish including the de-bearding the mussels and set aside.
• Heat the olive oil in your chosen pan on medium heat.
• Add the noodles and stir to coat with the oil and cook until a light brown colour, about 3 minutes. Be careful because they do suddenly get too brown and burn. Err on the side of caution as all you're doing is toasting them.
• Add the garlic and fry for 30 seconds.
• Next, add prawns, monkfish, half the stock, the saffron and the paprika. Give everything a good stir, lower the heat slightly and let it cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding more stock if necessary.
• After 10 minutes, increase the heat, stir and add the rest of the stock and seafood (shellfish and squid).
• Stir well, reduce heat and cook for another 3-5 minutes, stirring a couple of times, until the clams and mussels have popped open. Make sure the seafood is cooked right through, give it a couple more minutes if not.
• Taste the seasoning, add some salt if necessary, some freshly ground black pepper and serve hot, scattered with parsley and wedges of lemon to squeeze on.

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.

FIDEUà

Steps:

• For the stock, place the grated tomato skins in a large saucepan, reserving the flesh for later, with the rest of the stock ingredients and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat until the mixture is simmering, then continue to simmer for 30 minutes. Strain the stock and reserve the liquid.
• For the fideuà, heat half of the oil in a paella pan or large, heavy-based, shallow frying pan over a medium heat. Add the monkfish and prawns and fry for 1-2 minutes on each side, until browned on both sides, adding more oil if necessary. Remove from the pan and set aside.
• Heat the remaining oil in the frying pan, add the onions and fry for 3-4 minutes, or until softened. Add the garlic, tomato flesh and squid and continue cook over a low heat for 6-7 minutes, or until the squid is opaque.
• Add the ñora peppers and the noodles, mix well, and continue to cook for a further 2-3 minutes, or until the noodles are covered in the oil. Sprinkle over the smoked paprika.
• Pour in the stock and bring the mixture to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes.
• Return the monkfish and the prawns to the pan, then arrange the mussels over the top of the fideuà. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then cover the pan tightly with aluminium foil or greaseproof paper and continue to simmer for a further 4-5 minutes, or until the mussels have opened (discard any mussels whose shells do not open during cooking).
• Meanwhile, for the picada, grind the almonds and the chopped parsley in a mortar and pestle as finely as possible.
• To serve, sprinkle the picada over the fideuà, garnish with lemon wedges and spoon onto serving plates.

FIDEUA (SPANISH NOODLE PAELLA)

Steps:

• Holding few strands at a time, break pasta into 1-inch pcs and set aside. Heat oil in paella pan or possibly large skillet. Add in onion and garlic and cook over medium heat till soft and translucent/soft but not brown, about 4 min. Add in tomatoes and paprika and cook till all liquid has evaporated, about 5 min. Stir in clams, shrimp. scallops and monkfish and saute/fry 1 minute. Add in 2-1/2 c. fish stock and saffron and bring to boil. Stir in pasta and return to boil. Reduce heat and gently simmer till pasta is cooked, 15 to 20 min, stirring occasionally. If mix dries out too much before pasta is completely cooked, add in remaining stock. Add in salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with parsley and serve at once. Makes 4 servings.