Fideuà de Marisco

Golden noodles, fresh seafood, and the flavors of the Mediterranean in every bite. Think paella, but made with noodles instead of rice. If you love paella, fideuà is a dish you need to try.

It wasn’t until a few years into living in Spain that I finally tried fideuà, and if I’m being honest, I switched teams after that first bite. This dish has similar Valencian origins to the iconic paella, but with a twist. Instead of rice, noodles are toasted before being cooked in a flavorful seafood broth, allowing them to soak up all that rich, briny flavor.

The noodles themselves can be thin or thick, but that’s a matter of preference. For me, dishes like this are a reminder of how excited our taste buds are to try something new and to always be willing to experiment when it comes to food. Even when two dishes have very similar ingredients and cooking techniques, small differences can make all the difference.

Preparation:

20 minutes

Cook Time:

40 minutes

Servings:

4

Ingredients:

• 400 g short noodles for fideuà
• 500–600 g mixed seafood, such as prawns, mussels, and squid
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 ripe tomatoes, grated, or approximately 300 g crushed tomato
• 1–1.2 litres seafood stock, preferably homemade
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tsp sweet paprika
• A pinch of saffron or saffron-infused water
• Salt, to taste
• Fresh parsley, optional
• 1–2 lemons, cut into wedges, for serving

Preparation

1. Prepare the seafood. Clean the seafood as needed. If using fresh mussels, scrub the shells and remove the beards. Cut the squid into rings or bite-sized pieces, and pat the seafood dry.
2. Toast the noodles. Heat a generous drizzle of olive oil in a wide, shallow pan. Add the noodles and toast them over medium heat, stirring frequently, until golden brown. Keep a close eye on them so they don’t burn. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
3. Build the sofrito. In the same pan, add a little more olive oil if needed. Cook the onion over medium heat until softened, then add the garlic. Stir in the grated tomato and cook until the mixture thickens and most of the liquid has evaporated. Add the sweet paprika and saffron, stirring briefly so the spices release their aroma without burning.
4. Cook the seafood. Add the squid to the pan and cook for a few minutes. If using larger prawns, you can briefly sear them and set them aside to add back later. Add the toasted noodles and stir to coat them in the tomato and seafood mixture.
5. Add the stock and simmer. Pour in the hot seafood stock and bring everything to a gentle simmer. Start with about 1 litre of hot stock and keep some extra ready. The exact amount depends on the noodles and the pan you use. Spread the noodles evenly across the pan, then arrange the remaining seafood on top. Cook according to the noodle package instructions, usually around 8–12 minutes, adding the mussels at the appropriate point so they cook through. Avoid stirring too much once the noodles are distributed.
6. Rest and serve. Once the noodles have absorbed most of the stock and are tender, remove the pan from the heat. Let it rest for a few minutes before serving. Finish with fresh parsley if desired and serve with lemon wedges.

Tips:

• Toast those noodles. Don’t skip this step. Toasting the noodles before adding the stock gives them a deeper, nuttier flavor and helps create the dish’s distinctive character.
• Let the stock do the work. A flavorful seafood stock makes all the difference. Use a good-quality stock, keep it hot before adding it to the pan, and resist the urge to keep stirring while the noodles cook.

Serve & Pair:

A taste of the Mediterranean: Alioli is a classic accompaniment to fideuà. It adds a creamy, garlicky contrast to the toasted noodles and seafood, and is best enjoyed with bread fresh out of the oven. I’d also recommend pairing it with a crisp, dry white wine like Albariño. Beer works too, but it may leave you feeling heavy and with a loss of appetite before the main dish.