Zarzuela

At my local supermarket, they had a packet of mixed frozen seafood on special offer. Generally, I like to buy fresh produce, but I thought I give it a try. The quality was perfect for the Zarzuela inspired dish. I bought some cod from the fishmarket extra to go with the seafood. Another advantage of the frozen food is, it’s already cleaned and simple to cook.

Zarzuela de mariscos is a popular Catalonian and northern Spanish stew of various fish and shellfish. I have eaten it a few times in Spain and always enjoyed it. As a general rule, it is usually served freshly made and accompanied by a sauce called picada consisting of finely ground almonds or walnuts to achieve the right consistency. I didn’t use any nuts in my recipe.

Ingredients | Serves 4

400 g	Frozen mixed seafood (shrimps, mussels, squid, octopus)
400 g	Cod or any other firm-fleshed fish
200 g	Cherry tomatoes
2	Medium spring onions
2	Cloves of garlic
130 mg	Saffron powder (one sachet)
1 tsp	Tomato puree
200 ml	White wine
500 ml	Fish stock
	Olive oil
	Salt and paprika to season

Preparation

Put the frozen seafood in a bowl and let it defrost at room temperature (about 30 minutes). Then rinse them in a sieve under running cold water and set aside.
Cut the cod into large pieces.
Finely chop the garlic and spring onion and separate the green part of the onion and set aside. Half the cherry tomatoes.
In a large skillet fry the garlic and white part of the onions in a little olive oil until softened. Then add the tomato puree and the cherry tomatoes. Cook all until the tomatoes are softened.
Pour in the white wine, add the saffron powder and the green part of the onions. Let all simmer on medium heat to reduce the liquid. Then pour the fish stock to the sauce and continue to cook.
Season with salt and paprika to taste.
Finally, add the seafood and cod into the sauce and cook until the fish is done – about 8–10 minutes.

Serving | Spoon the Zarzuela into deep plates and serve with fresh bread.