Barcelona
- Recipes - Fish
Bacalla
a la Llauna - Codfish in the Llauna
Serving Size: 6
2 lb codfish,
desalted
1 oz of pimento
1 glass of white wine
4 garlic cloves
Parsley, finely minced
1 cup olive oil
Flour
Salt
Preferably use
the high part of the codfish, without thorns nor grudges. Once desalted,
cut the codfish and dry the pieces. Then, flour the fish and fry
it in hot oil. Place the fried pieces in a high tin plate tray (llauna)
suitable for the oven.
In the same
oil fry the slices of 2 garlic cloves and, when they begin to gild,
add pimento and after the wine to avoid pimento to burn. Leave boil
one minute.
Put this mixture
over the fried codfish already placed in the tray. Prick slight
the rest of garlic and mince the parsley. Dust the codfish with
this mixture and put the tray in the oven (grill function) for 30
minutes.
Catalan
Shredded Salt Cod Salad
Serving Size: 6
1 lb salt cod
(boneless), dried
1 small red or green bell pepper, cored and seeded
1/2 large red onion, thinly sliced
1 large tomato, thinly sliced
1/3 cup fruity Spanish olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
4 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoons black pepper, freshly ground
1/2 cup oil cured black olives
3 hardboiled eggs, quartered
1/2 small bunch oregano leaves, finely chopped
To prepare the salt cod, rinse it well and then immerse it in a
container of cold water (cut into chunks, if necessary, to fit).
Refrigerate, changing the soaking water 5 or 6 times, until softened
and mild (24 to 48 hours, depending on how stiff and salty it was
to begin with).
Drain the cod, place it in a large saucepan with the onion and the
bay leaves, and cover with cold water. Bring just to a boil, reduce
the heat to very low, and cover (taste the water at this stage and,
if it seems excessively salty, then drain, cover again with fresh
cold water, and bring to a boil). Simmer very gently until the fish
is opaque and plumped, and falls apart into heavy flakes when prodded,
about 20 minutes. Drain, pat dry, and remove the bones and skin,
if necessary. Separate into large flakes and use right away, or
refrigerate for up to 2 days before continuing with the recipe.
Drain and press the cod with your fingers to extract as much water
as possible. Shred the cod by hand into thin strips and transfer
it to a large bowl.
Core, seed and wash the pepper. Cut into thin rings. Separate rings
of onion. Select one large, firm, ripe tomato and slice it thinly.
Add the pepper rings, onion, and tomato to the bowl and toss together
gently. In another bowl, combine the oil, vinegar, garlic, pepper,
and if desired, a little salt (the salt cod is usually still quite
salty; taste it to determine if the vinaigrette needs any salt).
Whisk the vinaigrette together until thoroughly blended.
Using your hands, toss the salad with the vinaigrette until all
the ingredients are coated. Transfer the salad to a platter and
garnish the edges with olives and wedges of hardboiled egg. Scatter
the oregano over the dish.
Catalan
Sauté of Calamari in Onion Marmalade
Servings Size: 4
1 1/4 lb calamari
and tenacles, cleaned
3 tablespoons virgin olive oil
1 dry red chile pepper, broken
3 large onions
Salt & pepper, to taste
Clean calamari and cut tubes crosswise into 1/2" rings. Dry
calamari on paper towels and reserve. In a medium frying pan, heat
1 Tbs. oil over medium-high heat. Add the calamari and saute until
the rings turn opaque white, about 30 seconds to one minute. Transfer
calamari to a bowl and set aside.
Wipe pan dry,
add remaining oil and heat. Add chile pepper and heat until it turns
dark. Remove chile with a slotted spoon and discard. Add the onions
to the hot chile oil and cook, stirring, until onions are wilted,
about 5 minutes.
Reduce heat
to medium, partially cover pan and cook, stirring occasionally,
until onions are caramelised (golden brown), 30-40 minutes (add
more oil if onions are dry or stick to the pan). Season with salt/pepper.
Add calamari and stir until heated throughout. Serve with slices
of hot or toasted French bread.
Esqueixada
Catalana
Servings Size: 4
1 1/2 lb salted
codfish
3 tablespoon green olives
3 tablespoon black olives
1 tablespoon chive, chopped
4 tomatoes, cubed
1 tomato, sliced
For the Vinaigrette:
1 tablespoon vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 drop salt
Desalt the codfish,
cut it into strips and let marinate for 1 hour in the vinaigrette
(made stirring well together oil, vinegar and salt) mixed with the
cube of tomatoes, the black olives, the green olives and the chive.
Then, put the codfish in the centre of a dish and garnish with the
slices of tomato all around and the vinaigrette.
Fish
in Tomato and Garlic Sauce
Servings Size: 4
4 slices of hake
4 slices of anglerfish
8 large prawns
4 large Norway lobsters
4 small cuttlefish
1 medium squid
1 lb of saltwater crabs, galeras or common prawns
12 clams
2 tomatoes
12 almonds
8 garlic cloves
1 dried seedless pepper ('Romesco' pepper). Or instead, you can
use a small spicy red pepper
1 slice of bread
1 cup olive oil
1/2 onion
Salt
Fry the crab,
galeras or common prawns in an earthenware dish for five minutes
and put to one side. In the same oil, sauté the tomatoes,
onion and garlic (all finely diced) for 10 minutes. Place the crabs
and common prawns in an earthenware dish with a litre of water and
boil for a further 15 minutes.
Press the cooking
juices through a sieve and put to one side. Fry the 'Romesco' pepper,
the almonds, 6 garlic cloves and the slice of bread separately.
Then crush in a mortar to obtain an even paste and season.Heat some
olive oil in a large earthenware dish. When it is smoking, add the
paste form the mortar, diluting it with a skimming spoon for a few
seconds.
Quickly add
one cup of stock and all the fish (hake, anglerfish, prawns, Norway
lobsters, cuttlefish, squid and clams), having previously cleaned
and seasoned it Cover with more stock and cook for a further 10
minutes over a medium flame.
Parrillada
de Pescado - Mixed Grill from Barceloneta
Servings Size: 4
6 medium calamari
6 medium cuttlefish
6 small sole
12 mussels
6 giant prawns
6 large langoustines (or 6 small lobsters)
6 slices monkfish on bone, thin
6 tablespoons virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons sliced almonds
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 egg
1 teaspoon mustard
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons milk
Preheat a large
grill. Clean and peel calamari, rinse cuttlefish, gut and rinse
sole, debeard mussels, and rinse prawns, langoustines and monkfish.
Pat all dry. Brush well with oil and place all on grill. Cook 7
to 8 minutes on first side, turn and cook 2 to 3 minutes on second.
Meanwhile, make
sauce by placing garlic, almonds, lemon juice, egg and mustard in
a blender and blend until smooth. Add olive oil in a thin drizzle
with blender running to form a creamy emulsion. If too thick, thin
with milk. Remove
sauce to crock. Remove fish to a giant platter and serve.
Zarzuela
Serving Size: 6
1 pound clams,
well scrubbed
1 pound shrimp, raw
1 pound fish fillet, cut into chunks
1/4 pound scallops
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 cup rice, uncooked
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
16 ounces Italian plum tomatoes, coarsely chopped
12 ounces clam juice
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 cup water
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
Dash Tabasco sauce
Salt and pepper, to taste
Avocado slices, sour cream, and cilantro (to garnish)
Lime wedges
Steam seafood separately until just cooked. Remove clams from shells
(discarding any that do not open), peel and devein shrimp. Set seafood
aside.
Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat and saute onion and garlic
until tender. Stir in rice and parsley and cook until rice is golden
brown. Add tomatoes, clam juice, wine, and water. Bring to a boil,
cover, reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes.
Mix seafood into rice, add cilantro and Tabasco, cover and cook
on low heat an additional 10 minutes. Check seasoning, and salt
and pepper to taste. Pour into shallow serving dish, top with avocado
slices, dollops of sour cream, and sprigs of cilantro. Serve with
lime wedges.
