Monkfish and Seafood Zarzuela

Here are the ingredients you need for this recipe

• 1 cuttlefish
• 4 monkfish steaks
• 4 monkfish tails
• 8 langoustines
• 8 red prawns
• 16 mussels
• Handful of clams
• 400g baby octopus or squid
• 2 onions
• 1 green bell pepper
• 1 red bell pepper
• 2 garlic cloves
• 300g crushed canned tomatoes
• 1 picada (4 almonds, 4 hazelnuts, 1 slice of toasted bread, 2 garlic cloves, parsley, black pepper)
• 1 glass of white wine
• Pink Himalayan salt
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Fresh parsley

Method

1. 1Steam the mussels and clams open, reserving the cooking liquid that is released.
2. 2In a deep paella pan or wide shallow casserole, cook the cuttlefish and baby octopus with a drizzle of olive oil, then set them aside.
3. 3Repeat the process with the red prawns and langoustines, then set them aside as well.
4. 4Quickly sear the monkfish pieces on both sides and set aside.
5. 5Next, in the very same pan, gently fry the finely chopped onion and bell peppers until softened.
6. 6Once softened, add the crushed tomatoes and cook down thoroughly.
7. 7When the tomato sofrito is nicely concentrated, add all the fish and seafood back into the pan.
8. 8Pour in one glass of the strained steaming broth from the mussels and clams.
9. 9Finely crush all the picada ingredients in a mortar, season with a pinch of salt, stir in the glass of white wine, and distribute this mixture evenly throughout the pan.
10. 10Cover and simmer gently over low heat for 10-15 minutes.
11. 11Taste, adjust the salt if needed, and let it rest until ready to serve.
12. 12Reheat gently just before serving.
13. 13All done! Now we can dive into our Monkfish and Seafood Zarzuela.

Extra Tips

1. 1You can also add hake fillets if you like.
2. 2You can lightly flour and fry the fish beforehand (I personally prefer to skip this step).
3. 3You can add a small glass of Brandy, which adds wonderful depth (I only had wine at home).