Classic Fideuà

About this dish

This is closer to what the dish looked like before it became a restaurant menu item: whatever fish the boat brought back that day, cooked simply in a wide pan the same way paella already was on the Valencian coast, with pasta standing in for rice because — as the story goes — one cook got tired of making rice for a captain who never tired of eating it. No allioli, no extra shellfish for show; the test of a classic fideuà was always the noodles themselves, whether they came out standing upright with a properly crisp base, not how much was piled on top.

• Lactose-free
• Not vegetarian because of Raw prawns, peeled, Firm white fish fillets, Fish stock
• Contains gluten because of Fideos (short vermicelli noodles)

• 3clovesGarlic cloves
• 150gRipe tomatoes
• 50mlExtra-virgin olive oil
• 300gRaw prawns, peeled
• 250gFirm white fish fillets
• 4gSweet smoked paprika
• 1gSaffron threads
• 400gFideos (short vermicelli noodles)
• 900mlFish stock
• 8gFine sea salt
• 10mlLemon juice

Instructions

1. 1

   Fry the chopped garlic in the olive oil in a wide, shallow pan, then add the grated tomato and cook until it reduces to a thick paste.

   8 min

   Tip: This sofrito is the entire seasoning base for a dish this simple — don't rush it off the heat early, or the fideuà will taste thin no matter how good the stock is.

2. 2

   Sear the prawns and white fish briefly in the same pan, then set them aside.

   4 min

   Tip: Just sear the outside, don't cook them through — they'll finish cooking later once they go back in with the stock, and fully cooking them now only means they're overdone by the time the dish is ready.

3. 3

   Stir the paprika and saffron into the sofrito, then add the fideos and toast for a minute or two.

   3 min

   Tip: Toast the noodles until they pick up a little colour from the sofrito itself, not just from sitting in the oil — that colour is flavour, and it's the last chance to build it before the liquid goes in.

4. 4

   Pour in the hot fish stock, season with salt, return the prawns and fish to the pan, and simmer without stirring until the liquid is absorbed and the noodles stand upright.

   15 min

   Tip: Resist stirring even once — every fideuà and paella recipe repeats this rule for the same reason: it's the only way the bottom layer of noodles gets left alone long enough to actually crisp.

5. 5

   Let it rest briefly off the heat, then serve with a squeeze of lemon.

   5 min

   Tip: A squeeze of lemon at the table is the only garnish this version needs — it brightens the stock's richness without covering up the plain, direct flavour the dish is actually built around.