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All i pebre
All i pebre: the Albufera's garlic and paprika stew of eel and potatoes, with a monkfish option
In El Palmar and the other villages around the Albufera lagoon south of Valencia, the restaurants that are famous for paella serve something older first: all i pebre, "garlic and pepper", a brick-red stew of lagoon eel and potatoes thickened with a pounded almond and fried-bread picada. It is rich, garlicky and gently hot, eaten with bread to mop up the sauce. Ask your fishmonger to skin and cut the eel, and handle it with gloves: raw eel blood is irritating, though harmless once cooked. If you can't find eel, monkfish or hake works well. A common mistake is letting the paprika burn; it turns bitter in seconds, so add it off the heat. Chef's tip: break the potatoes with a knife instead of cutting cleanly; the rough edges release starch and thicken the sauce.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
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What you'll need
Fresh ingredients (2)
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Heat ¼ cup olive oil in a wide casserole over a medium heat. Fry the whole cloves from the 5 clove garlic, 15 blanched almonds and 1 slice day-old bread until all are golden, about 3 minutes, then lift out and pound or blend to a paste with a splash of water. This is the picada.
4 minStep 2: Add the sliced 5 clove garlic and 1 small dried chilli (cayenne) to the oil and fry for 1 minute until the garlic is pale gold.
1 minStep 3: Cut 1 ½ lb floury potatoes into 4 cm chunks by inserting a knife and snapping off each piece. Add to the pan and turn in the oil for 2 minutes.
2 minStep 4: Take the pan off the heat and stir in 1 tbsp sweet paprika for 10 seconds, then immediately pour in 3 ¼ cups water. Add 1 ½ tsp salt and ½ tsp black pepper, bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes, until the potatoes are nearly tender.
16 minStep 5: Add 2 ¼ lb eel and the picada and stir gently. Simmer for 12 to 15 minutes (8 to 10 for monkfish), shaking the pan rather than stirring, until the fish is opaque and pulls easily from the bone and the sauce has thickened and turned glossy.
14 minStep 6: Rest for 5 minutes, taste for salt and serve in bowls with plenty of bread.
5 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 610 kcal
- Protein
- 32 g
- Carbs
- 38 g
- Fat
- 36 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does all i pebre take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 40 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
- What can I use instead of floury potatoes?
- Sweet potato, same weight (sweeter, cooks a little faster).
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