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Seafood Fideua

Fideua is the pasta version of paella--the Classic Spanish dish from Valencia. Use whatever seafood/meat combination you like. In my opinion it's actually easier than preparing the classic rice version and it's just as tasty.
Course Main
Cuisine Spanish
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 4
Author Lemons & Anchovies

Ingredients

  • 1 pound raw shrimp peeled and deveined
  • 1/2 pound cod fillet or any white meat fish, cut into small pieces
  • 8.5 ounce can chopped clams with the juice or 6 ounces plain clam juice
  • 3 - 3 1/2 cups stock warm (I used chicken but fish stock would be better)
  • 8 ounces fideus noodles; you can use angel hair pasta cut into 2-inch pieces; I used whole grain angel hair pasta and it worked well here
  • 1 onion chopped
  • 3-4 cloves garlic crushed
  • 3-4 small tomatoes chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon Spanish smoked paprika
  • Pinch saffron
  • Olive oil
  • salt and pepper
  • Lemon wedges for serving

Instructions

  1. Season the shrimp and fish with salt and pepper. If using angel hair pasta, snap them into roughly two-inch pieces.
  2. Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a paella pan or skillet (see note) over medium heat. Add the shrimp and fish and cook until opaque but not cooked through, about 2-3 minutes. Transfer the seafood to a plate. Add the dry pasta to the same pan; add a tablespoon or two of olive oil if your pan is dry. Toast the noodles until brown at the edges, about 3-4 minutes. If you use whole grain pasta like I did your pasta will already have some color so just watch for some crisp, dark bits on the ends of the pasta. Transfer the toasted noodles to a bowl.
  3. In the same pan, add another tablespoon or two of olive oil and the onion and garlic. Cook on medium to medium-high heat until the onions are translucent, about 1-2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper then add the tomatoes and Spanish paprika. Cook until the tomatoes have cooked down, about 2 minutes. Be sure to watch the heat of the pan. Paella pans can be thinner than regular stainless steel pans so if you see the pan turning black, lower the heat.
  4. Add back the noodles along with the clams and juice, 3 cups of the chicken stock and the saffron. You may not need the last 1/2 cup. Bring to a boil then lower the heat to a simmer. Cover and cook until the liquid has been absorbed by the noodles, about 8 - 10 mins (depending on your stove, the pan you're using and the pasta, your time may be shorter or longer. This dish is hard to get wrong, though. Just check the noodles and liquid every few minutes). Use aluminum foil to cover your paella pan since they don't normally come with lids. About 5 minutes before you plan to turn off the heat, layer the partially-cooked seafood on top and cover with foil again. If you feel the liquid is dissolving faster than the noodles are cooking, add the remaining 1/2 cup of stock. Even if it looks like the finished dish has too much liquid, the noodles will continue to absorb it. Don't fret if you have dark bits that have stuck to the pan--this is the coveted socarrat and it has lots of flavor! Set the entire paella pan at the table for a family-style meal. Garnish with lemon wedges.

Recipe Notes

I used a 12-inch paella pan and it's supposed to serve 6. Realistically, this will serve four as a main course.