Spanish Seafood Stew from Valencia | Zarzuela de Pescado y Marisco

📝 Ingredients

• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil (90 ml)
• 1 slice baguette (1 inch / 2.50 cm thick)
• 6 cloves garlic (peeled)
• 12 blanched almonds
• 2 tbsp chopped parsley (5 grams)
• 1/4 tsp saffron threads (0.17 grams)
• 1 cleaned tube of squid (cut into 1/4 inch thick rings)
• 1 medium yellow onion (finely chopped)
• 1 tsp sweet smoked Spanish paprika (2.50 grams)
• 2 tomatoes (finely chopped)
• 2 cups fish broth (480 ml)
• 4 cod fillets (7 oz / 200 grams each)
• 1/2 lbs raw jumbo shrimp (peeled and deveined) (225 grams)
• sea salt & black pepper
• chopped parsley for garnish

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1Heat a paella pan with a medium heat and add in the olive oil (you can also use a large fry pan or even a stockpot if you prefer)
2. 2After a couple of minutes, add in the slice of baguette, cloves of garlic, and almonds, fry for 3 to 4 minutes or until golden fried all around, then remove from the pan and set aside
3. 3Using the same pan with the same heat, add in the squid rings and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes or until lightly sautéed, then remove from the pan and set aside
4. 4Once again, using the same pan with the same heat, add in the chopped onion and mix continuously, after 3 to 4 minutes, add in the paprika and quickly mix together, then add in the chopped tomatoes and season with salt & pepper, mix together, then mix every 1 to 2 minutes so the tomatoes evenly sauté
5. 5In the meantime, add the fried cloves of garlic and almonds into a mortar, along with the chopped parsley, saffron, and a pinch of salt, using a pestle, pound down on the ingredients until well mashed, then add the fried slice of baguette and continue to pound down until you get a paste-like texture
6. 6After sautéing the tomatoes for 5 to 10 minutes and they're lightly sautéed, add in the fish broth, give it a mix, and simmer
7. 7In the meantime, add the cod fillets over some paper towels and pat dry, then season with salt & pepper, and cut each fillet in half for a total of 8 pieces of fish, also add the shrimp over some paper towels and pat dry, and season with salt & pepper
8. 8After simmering the broth for 10 minutes, grab some of the broth and add it into the mortar with the almond mixture, mix together, then add the mixture into the pan and mix together until well mixed, then add in the pieces of cod, all in a single layer, and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, then gently flip each one, add the squid rings and shrimp into the pan, all evenly spaced out, and gently push down on the squid rings and shrimp so they're fully coated in the broth, and simmer for another 2 to 3 minutes or until all the seafood is just cooked through
9. 9Serve directly out of the pan, garnished with chopped parsley, enjoy!