Operetta

After the feasts of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day (and for some also Boxing Day), there are still a few days of celebration ahead and we fancy dishes that are not as heavy as the roasts so typical of these dates. That is why I want to share with you my recipe for zarzuela, a traditional dish cooked with fish and seafood that I am sure you will love.

As with all fish dishes, the key is not to overcook it, so you can imagine that this is a quick recipe to prepare. With a couple of hours in the kitchen, you will have the zarzuela ready and all the dishes clean and tidy. Another point in favor of taking this dish into account in our Three Kings' Day menu!

To cook the zarzuela I used my Le Creuset low cocotte . Apart from being perfect for these preparations, I find it ideal for serving . Have you seen how good it looks when serving?

Le Creuset Evolution Low Casserole

Ingredients (for 4 people)

• 400gr of monkfish
• 1 sea bream
• 1 squid
• 4 crayfish
• 8 shrimps
• 16 mussels
• 250gr of clams
• 5 pear tomatoes
• 2 onions
• 500ml fish stock
• 200ml olive oil
• Flour
• Salt

For the minced meat:

• 2 cloves of garlic
• A few sprigs of parsley
• A pinch of saffron

For the fish stock:

• 500gr rock fish
• The bones and head of the sea bream used in the recipe
• 1 onion
• 1 leek
• 200ml white wine
• A splash of olive oil
• 3 liters of water

Elaboration

From fish stock

1. Put all the ingredients for the stock in a pot .
2. Let it simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and let it sit for another 30 minutes.
3. Strain it and set aside.

From the zarzuela

1. Clean the fish and seafood: I like to trim the whiskers off the prawns with scissors so I don't find them when eating. Clean the mussel shells and soak the clams in salt water. Cut the squid into thin rings. Cut the monkfish into slices. Remove the fillets from the sea bream. Cut the sea bream fillets in half. You can use the sea bream's spine and head to prepare the fish stock.
2. Put the mussels in a sauté pan , cover and open the mussels over high heat. Remove any shells that do not have meat on them or have not opened and put the rest in the shallow cocotte .
3. Salt all the fish and flour the sea bream, monkfish and squid.
4. In a deep frying pan , add a splash of olive oil and sauté the crayfish and shrimp. One minute on each side will be enough. Set them aside in the shallow cocotte.
5. Add the rest of the oil to the pan and fry the monkfish, sea bream and squid in batches. Once browned, place them in the shallow cocotte as well.
6. Once you have fried all the fish, remove the oil from the pan, except for 5 tablespoons, which you will use to make the sofrito. To do this, grate the onions and add them to the pan with a pinch of salt. Let it cook over a medium heat until it starts to brown. Then add the grated tomato* and let it fry for about 10 minutes. The sofrito should be well concentrated.
7. Add the fish stock to the pan and let it cook for 20 minutes. Adjust the salt.
8. Strain the sauce through a sieve to make it thinner and pour it into the low cocotte over the fish. Add the drained clams to the cocotte, place it on the stove with the lid on and let it cook on low heat for 10 minutes.
9. Prepare the picada by mashing all the ingredients in a mortar . Add a little fish stock and pour the picada into the cocotte . Cook everything covered over low heat for 5 more minutes. Rock the cocotte during cooking so that all the flavours mix well.

Le Creuset Evolution Low Casserole