Fideuà
A dish from Gandía near Valencia that, according to local legend, was born of accident: a cook on a fishing boat ran out of rice and tipped pasta into the paella instead. The result was good enough that Gandía has long held a contest for the best fideuà. Technically it differs from paella in two ways: the pasta is toasted first, which gives it a nutty flavour and makes it less prone to overcooking in the broth, and the finished dish is recognised by the pasta ends standing upright.
Your own work in that: 0 min.
- Broth 25 min
- Sofrito 18 min
- Toasting the pasta 8 min
- Cooking 15 min
- Resting 5 min
Step by step
0 / 8 donePeel the prawns and make shell broth
Peel the prawns (keep the meat in the fridge) and fry the shells and heads in a tablespoon of olive oil for 3 minutes, then cover with water, add the halved onion, bay and salt and simmer 20 minutes. Strain, and add the saffron to the hot broth. Frying the shells before adding water noticeably deepens the flavour of the broth.
Ingredients: 400 g prawns · 1300 ml water · 1 pcs onion · 1 pcs bay leaf · 1 pinch saffron · 2 tsp salt
Toast the pasta dry
Toast the pasta in a dry pan for 6 minutes, stirring, until browned and nutty-smelling, then tip it into a bowl. The crucial step of fideuà: toasted pasta absorbs broth more slowly and is harder to overcook, and gains flavour along the way.
Ingredients: 400 g fideos · 80 ml olive oil · 1 pcs onion · 4 cloves garlic · 3 pcs tomatoes · 1 tbsp paprika · 300 g squid
Golden brown and nutty — not pale.Make the sofrito in a wide pan
Heat the rest of the oil in a wide, shallow pan (ideally a paella pan about 40 cm across) and fry the onion with the garlic for 5 minutes, add the grated tomatoes and cook 10 minutes, until darkened and thick. A wide pan is essential — the pasta must lie in a thin layer.
Ingredients: 400 g fideos · 80 ml olive oil · 1 pcs onion · 4 cloves garlic · 3 pcs tomatoes · 1 tbsp paprika · 300 g squid
Dark and thick — the sofrito carries the whole dish.Add the squid and paprika
Add the squid and fry 3 minutes, then take the pan off the heat and stir in the smoked paprika. Off the heat, because paprika scorches very quickly in hot fat and gives a bitterness you cannot get rid of instead of smoky sweetness.
Ingredients: 400 g fideos · 80 ml olive oil · 1 pcs onion · 4 cloves garlic · 3 pcs tomatoes · 1 tbsp paprika · 300 g squid
Add the pasta and pour in the broth
Tip in the toasted pasta, mix it with the sofrito and return the pan to the heat and pour in about 1 litre of the hot saffron broth. Spread it level and do not stir from this point on.
Ingredients: 400 g prawns · 1300 ml water · 1 pcs onion · 1 pcs bay leaf · 1 pinch saffron · 2 tsp salt
Cook without stirring and add the seafood
Cook 12 minutes over medium heat without stirring. After six minutes arrange the prawns and mussels on top, pressing them in lightly. Discard any mussels that do not open. Stirring would release starch and turn fideuà into a sticky mass rather than a loose dish.
Ingredients: 400 g mussels · 1 pcs lemon · 3 tbsp parsley · 6 tbsp aioli
Stop when the pasta stands up
The dish is done when the broth has been absorbed and the pasta ends lift and stand upright. That is the signature of fideuà and the best test. Raise the heat for the last 60 seconds to catch the base.
Ingredients: 400 g prawns · 1300 ml water · 1 pcs onion · 1 pcs bay leaf · 1 pinch saffron · 2 tsp salt
The pasta stands upright — the dish is done.Rest five minutes and serve with aioli
Take off the heat, cover with a cloth and rest 5 minutes. Scatter with parsley and serve with lemon wedges and aioli. The aioli is spooned onto the top — a standard accompaniment to fideuà, not a garnish.
Ingredients: 400 g mussels · 1 pcs lemon · 3 tbsp parsley · 6 tbsp aioli
Before you start
Which pasta
Fideos are short, thin tubes 2 cm long, sold at Spanish grocers. Substitutes: spaghettini snapped into 2 cm pieces, or soup noodles. Thicker pasta needs more broth and longer cooking.
Socarrat applies here too
The caught layer on the base, familiar from paella, is prized in fideuà as well. Sixty seconds on high heat at the end, until you hear crackling — then take it off. A smell of burning means it has gone half a minute too far.
Meat and vegetable versions
There are also meat versions of fideuà, for example with chicken or pork ribs, on chicken stock. A vegetable version works on mushroom stock with artichokes and peppers — the pasta-toasting technique stays the same.
