Vida Recetas Editorial
Fish and seafood zarzuela is a traditional dish from Spanish cuisine, especially popular in the coastal regions of the Mediterranean. This dish combines fresh fish, such as monkfish, with a variety of seafood like prawns, langoustines, and clams, all in a flavorful and aromatic sauce. Its name comes from the Spanish musical genre, zarzuela, perhaps due to the mix of ingredients and flavors that complement each other.
This recipe is ideal for those looking for a hearty and flavorful main course, perfect for special occasions or to impress guests. Although it has several steps, it is simpler than it seems and the result is spectacular.
The key is to prepare a broth with the monkfish head, which gives the stew an intense flavor. The fish is coated in flour and fried before adding, which gives it a crispy texture and helps thicken the sauce. The touch of sweet paprika and a few drops of Tabasco (optional) give it a unique flavor. It can be served with white rice or crusty bread to soak up the sauce.
There are regional variations that include other fish or seafood, but this version is classic and delicious.
Prep
10 min
Cook
30 min
Servings
4
We bought the monkfish whole, the fishmonger cleaned it and left the head aside, so once at home, the first thing was to place a pot of water on the fire, such as 1.5 liters of water, salt, a peeled and whole onion to cook the head for about 20 minutes, over medium heat and covered. The resulting broth is strained and set aside.
We put the cockles in a bowl of water and salt to release any grit they may have, they will be in water while we continue with the recipe.
At the same time that the broth was made, we prepared a pan with oil to fry the monkfish, in our case the monkfish was too big, so we only used half of the body and reserved the other half for another recipe. We put a little salt, roll it in flour and fry it. Once fried, we reserve it.
Chop the other onion very finely, put oil in a pan and sauté it together with the garlic. When the onion is golden brown, remove it from the heat, add the spoonful of paprika, stir and put it back on the fire.
At this time we add the prawns and prawns, we will let them roast on both sides. Once this was done, we added a couple of large ladles of the broth and the cockles drained from the water they were in. Cover and let it cook over medium heat so that the cockles can open. The rest of the broth we have will serve us for another recipe. At the last minute, we added fried monkfish.
Once ready and only if we like the spicy one, we add a few drops of tabasco.
Now all that remains is to open a bottle of wine, we have opened a soft and very very cold rosé.
This recipe has a easy difficulty level, which means it's accessible for cooks of all levels.
The preparation time is 10 minutes and the cooking time is 30 minutes.
This recipe is designed for 4 servings.
Yes, many ingredients can be substituted with similar alternatives. We recommend checking the recipe variations.
Store the preparation in the refrigerator for up to 3 days in an airtight container. Some preparations can be frozen for up to 3 months.
