I know it takes time, but it is amazing as a single course!
My mum has the recipes from a Spanish friend of hers, living in Milan.
Serves: 6/8 people
Ingredients:
- 16 raw shell-on prawns
- 150ml evo
- 8 scampi or crayfish, halved
- 500g cuttlefish, cleaned and sliced
- 24 mussels, scrubbed clean and debearded
- 24 clams
- 1 small fennel bulb, trimmed and finely chopped
- 1 red pepper, finely chopped
- 1 green pepper finely chopped
- 3 garlic gloves, finely chopped
- 2 large tomato, grated
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp finely chopped hot red chilli
- 400g rice
- saffron
- 150g fresh shelled peas
For the fish stock ( you can shortcut time by buying ready-made fish stock):
- 1,5kg clean fish bones and heads
- 60 ml evo
- 1 leek, the tender and pale part only
- 60ml white wine
- 1 carrot, cut into chunks
- 1 onion, peeled and cut in half
- 2 celery stalks, with leaves, cut in four part
- 5 cherry tomatoes
lemon wedges, to squeeze over
Execution:
- Remove the heads from most of the prawns, and add them to the seafood scraps for the stock (leave a few prawns whole to decorate the pan at the end).
- To make the fish stock, wash the fish heads. Put a large saucepan over a medium heat and add the olive oil. When it is hot, add the bits of fish and fry for around 5 min., squashing them with a wooden spoon to extract the juices.Add the leek, fry for another min, then pour the wine.
- Stir and allow the alcohol to evaporate for 3 min.
- Add the rest of the vegetables, including the cherry tomatoes, and fill the pan nearly to the top with cold water.
- Bring the mixture to boil, turn the heat down and let it simmer for at least 45 min. Skim any scum off the top. Strain the stock through the sieve, squashing some of the soft part with a wooden spoon. keep the broth warm.
- Place a paella pan ( I use a wide frying pan) over a medium heat. When it is very hot, sprinkle a generous amount of salt over the base of the pan, then add enough olive oil to cover the surface. When it sizzles, brown the scampi or crayfish and prawns for 2 min each side, then remove and set aside.
- Peeled most of the scampi and most of the prawns.
- Leave the other fish whole for the decoration at the end.
- Brown the cuttlefish for around 8 min., then remove and put alongside the prawns and scampi. Put the clams and the mussels in a pan with a little of water, cover and set over high heat. Cook for around 3 min, until they start to open. Remove most of them from their shells and set aside with the other seafood. keet the other in the shell for decoration. Strain the liquid the shellshave releasad into the stock.
- Add the fennel, onion and peppers to the paella pan and fry for 5min, then add the garlic and continue to fry for 3min more.When the vegetables are soft, push them to the edge of the pan and add the tomatoes, paprika and chilli to the centre. Mix togheter, fry for 3 min, them stir the other vegetables through them. Add the cuttlefish and cook gently stirring, for a further 3min.
- Add the rice and sprinkle the saffron on top, stir and let the rice absorb the flavours for 3 min.
- Pour around 1.25l of warm fish stock, then cook for 10 min over high heat, stirring gently.
- Add the fish and try not to stir in order to let a crust make at the bottom of the pan.
- Arrange the fish for the decoration on top and let it cook for another 5 min.
- Remove fro the heat and allow to rest for 5 min, before serving with lemon wedges, for squeezing over.
Enjoy!!!!
