Seafood fideuà

Ingredients

• 400g Mussels
• 8 Prawns
• 2 pinches Saffron
• 350g Vermicelli Pasta
• 5 tblsp Olive Oil
• 1 large Onions
• 3 cloves Garlic
• 2 tbs Paprika
• 1 tail Monkfish
• 4 Baby Squid
• 650ml Fish Stock
• 2 large Tomatoes
• Juice of 1 Lemon
• Topping Parsley

Quantities are the original recipe’s. The cost is our own estimate — typical own-brand supermarket prices for these quantities, divided by 4 servings. TheMealDB does not state how many a dish serves, so 4 is our assumption, not theirs. Treat it as “about this much a head”, not a shopping bill.

Method

1. Rinse the mussels under cold water and discard any that are cracked or that fail to close when tapped, then pull off any beards and set the shells aside under a damp cloth.
2. Peel the prawn body shells, leaving the heads and tails in place, then slit along the back and remove the dark vein. Keep chilled until needed.
3. Soak the saffron threads in 50ml just-boiled water for 10 mins. If your vermicelli comes in long strands, snap it into rough 1cm lengths.
4. Warm the olive oil in a wide, shallow pan or a paella pan. Cook the onion for 5 mins until softened, then add the garlic for a further minute.
5. Tip in the pasta and toast it for about 5 mins, stirring now and then, until it turns golden brown. Mix in the paprika.
6. Add the monkfish, squid and the saffron along with its soaking liquid, seasoning generously, and spread everything into an even layer across the pan.
7. Ladle in the hot stock, then dot the chopped tomatoes over the surface before letting the pan come up to a gentle simmer. Cover tightly with a lid or foil and cook over medium heat for 6 mins.
8. Take off the lid and fold the drier pasta on top back into the liquid. Press the mussels down between the strands, hinge-side first, so they stand upright.
9. Lay the prawns over the top, cover again and cook for a further 6 mins, until the mussels have opened, the prawns turn pink and the pasta is tender.
10. Let the dish rest uncovered for 2-3 mins so most of the excess liquid bubbles away, leaving just enough to keep the pasta moist.
11. Leave it to settle for a further 2-3 mins, then squeeze over the lemon juice, scatter with parsley and serve straight from the pan.

These steps were written by StreetOwl from the original recipe, in British English, with every oven temperature and cooking time checked against the source. They are not the original author’s words. If anything reads oddly, the original is linked below and it wins.