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Suquet de peix
Fish and potato stew with picada
Suquet de peix: Costa Brava fishermen's stew of fish, shellfish and potatoes with picada
Fishermen from Cadaqués, Palamós and the other Costa Brava ports made suquet on board with the fish that would not sell: rockfish, monkfish, hake, a few prawns, simmered with potatoes in a sofrito and thickened at the end with a picada of garlic, almonds, parsley and fried bread. Now it is a weekend lunch in harbour restaurants, served straight from the pan. The potatoes must release their starch so the broth turns into a light, silky sauce. Chef's tip: 'crack' the potatoes rather than slicing them: cut part way, then snap off the pieces; the rough edges give up more starch.
- Total time
- 70 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 10 ½ oz clams or musselsscrubbed; discard any cracked ones or open ones that don't close when tapped
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 onionfinely chopped
- 2 cloves garlicfinely chopped
- 2 ripe tomatoesgrated
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- 1 ½ lb waxy potatoespeeled
- 4 ¼ cups fish stockhot
- 1 pinch saffron threads
- 1 ¾ lb firm white fish such as monkfish, hake or gurnardcut into 5 cm pieces, bones out
- 8 large raw prawnsshell on
- 1 tsp salt
For the picada
- 1 slice breadabout 25 g
- ⅔ oz blanched almonds
- 2 cloves garlic
- 3 tbsp flat-leaf parsleychopped
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Check 10 ½ oz clams or mussels: throw away any with cracked shells and any open ones that don't close when tapped on the counter. Keep in the fridge until needed.
Step 2: Heat ¼ cup olive oil in a wide, shallow casserole over a medium heat. Fry 1 slice bread, ⅔ oz blanched almonds and 2 cloves garlic for 2–3 minutes until golden, lift into a mortar and pound with 3 tbsp flat-leaf parsley and a few drops of stock into a thick paste.
5 minStep 3: In the same oil, fry 1 onion and 2 cloves garlic for 8 minutes until soft and golden. Add 2 ripe tomatoes and 1 tsp sweet paprika and cook for 8 minutes until it becomes a thick, dark sofrito.
16 minStep 4: Crack 1 ½ lb waxy potatoes into rough 1 cm pieces and add them, stirring to coat. Pour in 4 ¼ cups fish stock, crumble in 1 pinch saffron threads, add half of ½ tsp salt and simmer for 15 minutes, until the potatoes are just tender and the liquid has turned cloudy.
15 minStep 5: Season 1 ¾ lb firm white fish such as monkfish, hake or gurnard with the rest of ½ tsp salt and lay it in the pan with 8 large raw prawns and the clams. Stir the picada into a ladle of broth and pour it over. Shake the pan gently instead of stirring, so the fish stays whole.
Step 6: Cover and simmer for 6–8 minutes, until the fish is opaque and flakes, the prawns are pink right through and the shells have opened. Throw away any clams or mussels that stay shut. A common mistake is boiling hard at this stage: the fish breaks into shreds.
8 minStep 7: Rest for 2 minutes off the heat and serve from the pan into shallow bowls.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 470 kcal
- Protein
- 52 g
- Carbs
- 36 g
- Fat
- 13 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does suquet de peix take?
- About 70 minutes in total: 30 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.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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