Fish Stew from Cataluña | SUQUET DE PEIX
Course: MainServings
2
peopleCooking time
40
minutesExperience the taste of Cataluña with this authentic Catalan Fish Stew, also known as El Suquet de Peix. This traditional seafood delight is a perfect blend of rock fish, cuttlefish, langoustines, and a rich blend of vegetables, combined with the unique flavor of la picada. Ideal for a cozy dinner, this stew is a cultural dive into Spanish cuisine and is sure to impress with its bold flavors and heartwarming comfort.
Ingredients
- Fish Stock
500g small rock fish/heads of serving fish
half a leek
a tomato
an onion
a branch of celery (optional)
half a head of garlic
parsley (optional)
a bay leaf
- Fish Stew
2 or 3 larger rock fish
a cuttlefish/squid
a few langoustines, depending on size
2 potatoes
half a green pepper
3 cloves of garlic
half an onion
a tomato
olive oil
pimentón pepper powder/sweet paprika (optional)
4 slices of bread (baguette style)
salt
- La Picada
50g toasted almonds
a couple sprigs of parsley
4 slices of bread (baguette style)
1-2 cloves of garlic
Directions
- Fish Stock
- Add all stock ingredients to a pot and pour in enough water to cover.
- Bring to a simmer and let cook for around 20-30 minutes, skimming impurities that rise to the top as you go.
- Fish Stew
- Dice the onion and green pepper then roughly chop the garlic. Cover the bottom of a pot with olive oil and add the garlic. Once fragrant add the green pepper and onion.
- As the vegetables cook down fry the slices of bread (4 for the picada and 4 for serving) in olive oil until golden brown.
- Grate the tomato into a pulp. Once the vegetables are really soft add the pulp into the mixture and continue cooking for a few more minutes.
- Break the potatoes down into smaller chunks, using a knife to wedge in and tear chunks off avoiding a clean cut.
- Add the potatoes into the vegetable mixture (the sofrito) and stir around for a couple minutes. Optionally also stir in the pimentón pepper powder.
- Roughly chop up the cuttlefish and fry vigorously for moment. Pour the fish stock over the potatoes, being careful to not add too much. Add in the cuttlefish, cover and let cook for around 5 minutes.
- Cut the rock fish into serving chunks and add into the pot along with the langoustines. Gently stir in the picada, cover and let cook for a final 5-6 minutes. Check for seasoning and adjust as needed.
- La Picada
- Bash up all picada ingredients using a pestle and mortar. Keep bashing until a pasty consistency is reached.
