Fish and seafood stew

Seasons of celebration with family and friends are approaching, and for this reason recipes like the one that Carmen, from Yerbabuena brings us in the kitchen today, comes in handy - a traditional recipe, which without major complications is ideal for any situation.

Today's recipe has a strong traditional symbol, which is ideal to enjoy in special celebrations, and for Christmas it can be a more than appetizing and rich dish with which you will have more than guaranteed success.

Depending on the area, there are different types of stews and they can be both meat and fish or shellfish. In any case, it is a stew that was traditionally associated with simple cooking, prepared on the street and in large cauldrons on the occasion of some festivity, hence its name, today in many towns this custom still survives.

The fish and shellfish stew has a marine origin, it is a nutritious and tasty dish that we can adapt to our own taste or pocket. The main base is the different types of fish, depending on the area and the time of year, such as red mullet, grouper, monkfish or other more affordable ones such as sea bass, scorpion fish, etc; Of course, preferably we must ensure that they are made of rock, since their smooth and tight texture makes them more suitable. To give it a more festive or special point, we accompany it with some type of shellfish, such as prawns, langoustines, mussels, crabs... a little of this and that according to your preferences, which, when used in small quantities, means that this dish is not excessively expensive.

Another noteworthy fact that characterizes calderetas, and which, like paellas, has reached our days, is that the custom of presenting this dish directly to the table in the casserole where it has been cooked is still maintained, an endearing tradition that you can look its best if you prepare this recipe in a low Le Creuset cocotte like this one, the vitrified iron will make the food cook evenly and homogeneously and you can go from the stove or stove to the oven without any complications; on the other hand, its spectacular design will add a point of style to the table.

Ingredients for 4 people)

1 Kg. Varied rock fish (grouper, monkfish, sea bass, scorpionfish… etc)
4 langoustines
8 Prawns
8 mussels
8 clams
2 crabs
1 onion
1 clove garlic
1 red pepper
1 carrot
400 g crushed tomato
1 teaspoon of ñora meat
1 Ounce of dark chocolate
Parsley
200 ml. Water to open the mussels and clams
50 ml. Brandy
150 ml. White wine
Pepper
Salt
Olive oil

ELABORATION

We put a little oil in a low casserole or cocotte , when it starts to smoke, we sauté the langoustines, the prawns and the small crabs cut in half for a minute. We salt, withdraw and reserve.

In that same casserole , add a little more oil and add the onion and carrot that we will have previously cut into small pieces. Sauté over low heat, after a few minutes add the red pepper, also cut into small pieces, and leave until everything is well poached. We then add the tomato, meat of ñora. In a mortar, crush the garlic, chocolate and parsley and add it to the rest of the sauce. Season with salt and pepper and let cook for about 20 minutes or until we see that the sauce has lost excess liquid and has become concentrated.

In the meantime, we put the mussels and clams in a saucepan , add a small splash of wine, close well and let them steam open. When the lid begins to hollow out, open and remove the mollusks as they open, so that they do not diminish due to overcooking. We keep this cooking liquid and filter it.

Cut and season the fish into regular pieces (if you want to easily remove the bones, I recommend using Rösle's fish tongs ). We can also ask our fishmonger to fillet it and remove the bones; in that case, we must pass them through flour and give it a spin around the pan to prevent it from breaking.

We put the cocotte with the sauce on the fire, add the brandy and flambé carefully so as not to burn ourselves. Add the white wine and leave for a couple of minutes for the alcohol to evaporate.

Arrange the fish in the casserole of the sauce, add the broth from the mussels and clams and place in the oven previously heated to 180º for around 15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish we will leave a little more or less.

A couple of minutes before the end of cooking, we add the rest of the ingredients, that is, the prawns, the langoustines, the crabs, the clams, the mussels that we had reserved, we bring to a boil to unify all the flavors. We serve immediately.