Serves6 to 8 (Main Course)
- Active time:2 hr
- Start to finish:2 hr
May 2008
The stew should be juicy (“suquet,” in Catalan)—not too soupy, not too thick—cooked with just enough liquid to cover the ingredients.
For picada
-
2
dried ñora peppers, wiped clean
-
2
tablespoons
hazelnuts, toasted and most of skins rubbed off in a kitchen towel while warm
-
2
tablespoons
blanched almonds, toasted
-
2
garlic cloves
-
1/4
teaspoon
saffron threads, crumbled
For stew
-
2
lb
medium tomatoes
-
1 1/2
lb
Yukon Gold potatoes
-
3/4
cup
extra-virgin olive oil
-
3
garlic cloves, minced
-
1/3
cup
finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
-
1/2
cup
dry white wine
-
4
cups
fish stock
-
2
teaspoons
paprika (not hot; preferably Spanish)
-
12
small hard-shelled clams (about 2 inches across), scrubbed
-
1
lb
cultivated mussels
-
3/4
lb
hake or Pacific cod fillet with skin, cut into 2-inch pieces
-
3/4
lb
large shrimp, peeled
-
Equipment:
a mortar and pestle
Make picada:
-
Soak peppers in boiling-hot water (weight with a plate if they float) until softened, about 45 minutes. Discard stems and tear open peppers, then dip in soaking water to remove seeds. Scrape flesh from skin with a small sharp knife (discard skin).
-
Pound nuts with garlic to a smooth paste using mortar and pestle. Add saffron, then add peppers and grind to a paste.
Make stew:
-
Cut an X in bottom of each tomato and blanch in a large pot of boiling water 30 seconds, then peel, seed, and chop.
-
Peel potatoes and cut into 1/3-inch-thick slices. Break slices into 1-inch pieces.
-
Heat 1/2 cup oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot, then cook potatoes, stirring occasionally, until pale golden, 8 to 10 minutes.
-
Cook garlic with parsley in remaining 1/4 cup oil in a wide 6- to 8-quart heavy pot over medium heat, stirring, until fragrant.
-
Stir in tomatoes and wine and briskly simmer 1 minute. Add potatoes with a slotted spoon, then add stock and simmer, covered, 10 minutes. Increase heat to high.
-
Thin picada with some liquid from pot, then add to pot with paprika and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook until broth is slightly thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add clams and cook, covered, until they start to open, 3 to 7 minutes.
-
Add mussels. Toss hake and shrimp with 1/4 teaspoon salt and add to stew. Cook, covered, until shells open wide and hake and shrimp are cooked, 4 to 8 minutes; discard unopened shellfish.