FIDEUA
Serves 3 - 4 people
NOTES & TIPS:
- Fideua is a Spanish seafood dish similar to Paella but made with vermicelli noodles.
- Fideua means “little hair” - when the pasta is standing up in the pan, you know it’s done.
- If you don’t have a paella pan, a 10-inch stainless steel, ovenproof pan is perfect
- When it comes to buying mussels and clams - you’ll get the best from a local fish purveyor. If you are going to a grocery store, look for places that keep them submerged in water.
- Toasting pasta results in a more robust flavor; it stands up better when you add to the liquid and gives the noodles a brown butter, nutty taste.
- You can make your own broth with bits and pieces of fish and vegetables, but to save time, you can buy a high quality chicken or beef stock and add a fish base like lobster or clam. You can also add a seafood spice packet like you would use for seafood boil. Broth can be made in advance and frozen for later use.
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INGREDIENTS:
For Fideua:
½ c. onions, large diced
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½ c. red peppers, large diced
1 tbsp shallots, minced
1 tsp garlic minced
2 T olive oil
2 T butter, cubed
Salt
1 pound Angel hair pasta (pre-toast angel hair in oven until golden brown and break into ½ inch pieces)
2 ½ cups broth
Lemon wedges
Selection of proteins such as:
One link of linguica or any spice sausage, sliced
8-10 steamed mussels, 6-8 steamed clams, 6-8 sauteed shrimp for seafood Fideua
Start mussels and clams in a little bit of oil as a dry pan can take longer to cook. needs fat and high heat. Can cook with just oil in a stock pot (no lid needed) or add some wine.
Clams and mussels should be steamed over medium to high heat until their shells open, which can take 4–10 minutes.
3- 4 bone in, skin on chicken thighs; one per person
Salt and pepper both sides of the chicken thighs
Add olive oil to pan over medium heat
Add chicken skin side down and cover; cook for 7 minutes and flip
Cook for an additional 8 - 10 until internal temperature reached 165 degrees
For aioli:
2 Tablespoons of Mayonnaise,
1 Tablespoon chopped green onion
Lemon juice
Blend all ingredients to taste
Method:
- Add 2 T of olive oil to a paella pan or other overproof pan on medium heat; saute onions, bell peppers, shallots and garlic in large pan (preferably paella pan or other 10-inch ovenproof pan; no non-stick pans).
- Pour in broth and bring to a boil.
- Add cubes of butter and salt to taste.
- Add pasta and make sure it is completely covered by the broth; boil for one minute.
- Put in the oven at 450 degrees for 8-10 minutes until water has evaporated and pasta is slightly crunchy on top. Look for the pasta to stand up in the pan. When the pasta is standing up in the dish, you know it’s done.
- Garnish with your favorite protein, for us it is sausage, steamed mussels, clams, and sauteed shrimp.. Serve with lemon wedges and garnish with aioli.
Recipe by Chef Jarad Gallagher at Broma Restaurant in Mountain View, CA
