← Nouns Cooking · Spanish

Ingredients

• 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 350 g fideuà noodles (or spaghetti broken into 2–3 cm pieces)
• 8 large raw prawns, shell on
• 250 g cleaned squid, cut into small pieces
• 1 Onion, finely chopped
• ½ red pepper, finely chopped
• 3 cloves Garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tsp sweet smoked paprika (pimentón)
• 2 ripe tomatoes, grated, skins discarded
• 1 pinch large pinch of saffron threads
• 850 ml hot fish stock
• Salt
• 1 Lemon, cut into wedges
• 4 tbsp alioli (garlic mayonnaise), to serve (optional)

Method

1. Crumble the saffron into the hot stock. Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a paella pan or a large, wide frying pan over medium heat. Add the noodles and toast them for 4–5 min, stirring all the time, until evenly golden brown. Tip them onto a plate.
2. Add the rest of the oil and turn the heat up to medium-high. Sear the prawns for 1 minute on each side until pink, then lift them out. Fry the squid for 2 min and set aside with the prawns.
3. Lower the heat and cook the onion and pepper for 8 min until soft. Stir in the garlic and paprika for 30 seconds, add the grated tomato and cook for 5 min, until it darkens into a thick sauce.
4. Return the noodles and squid, stir to coat, then pour in the hot stock and season with salt. Simmer briskly without stirring for 8–10 min, until the noodles are almost tender and most of the stock is absorbed.
5. Press the prawns into the top. Either keep cooking on the hob for 2–3 min until the liquid is gone, or slide the pan under a hot grill for 3–4 min so the noodles on top curl up and crisp.
6. Rest for 5 min, then serve from the pan with lemon wedges and a dollop of alioli.

Tips

• Alioli and most mayonnaise contain egg, and the dish contains shellfish and wheat, so check for allergies.
• Use a well-flavoured stock: it is where all the flavour comes from. Simmering the prawn shells and heads in shop-bought stock for 10 minutes makes a big difference.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Spain on a Fork BBC Good Food