Equipment
Ingredients
Produce
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 4 garlic, minced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 300 g waxy potato, peeled and diced into 1.5cm cubes
- 15 g fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges
Broth and Seasonings
- 45 ml olive oil
- 120 ml dry sherry
- 400 g crushed tomatoes, canned
- 500 ml fish stock
- 1 saffron threads, crumbled
- 5 g smoked paprika
Seafood
- 400 g firm white fish fillet, cut into 5cm chunks
- 200 g large raw prawns, peeled and deveined
- 300 g fresh mussels, scrubbed and debearded
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 481 kcal
- Protein
- 44 g
- Carbohydrates
- 32 g
- Fat
- 17 g
- Fiber
- 6 g
- Sugar
- 9 g
- Sodium
- 732 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 3 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 10 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 3 g
- Cholesterol
- 144 mg
- Potassium
- 1807 mg
- Calcium
- 214 mg
- Iron
- 9.4 mg
- Magnesium
- 136 mg
- Phosphorus
- 631 mg
- Zinc
- 3.6 mg
- Vitamin A
- 217 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 88 mg
- Vitamin E
- 3.3 mg
- Vitamin K
- 71 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.7 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 11.9 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.25 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.44 mg
- Niacin
- 5.3 mg
- Folate
- 94 mcg
- Water
- 469 g
- Alcohol
- 5 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Preheat the oven to 200 C or 400 F. Ensure the oven rack is placed in the lower-middle position to accommodate the Dutch oven.
Prepare all vegetables. Using a chef knife and cutting board, dice the onion, mince the garlic, dice the red bell pepper, and peel and dice the potatoes.
Heat the olive oil in the Dutch oven over medium heat on the stovetop. Add the diced onion, red bell pepper, and minced garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until the vegetables soften and become deeply aromatic.
Pour the dry sherry into the Dutch oven. Scrape the bottom of the pot with the wooden spoon to release any fond or browned bits.
Allow the sherry to gently bubble until the liquid reduces by half, concentrating the rich flavors.
Stir in the smoked paprika, crumbled saffron threads, crushed tomatoes, fish stock, and diced potatoes. Bring the liquid to a gentle boil.
Reduce the heat to maintain a steady simmer. Cook uncovered on the stovetop until the potatoes are just barely tender when pierced with a knife.
Remove the Dutch oven from the heat. Carefully nestle the raw white fish chunks, prawns, and mussels into the hot broth. Wash hands and surfaces thoroughly after handling the raw seafood to prevent cross-contamination.
Transfer the uncovered Dutch oven to the preheated 200 C or 400 F oven. Bake until the fish flakes easily and reaches a safe internal temperature of 63 C or 145 F, the prawns are entirely pink, and all the mussel shells have opened completely. Discard any mussels that remain tightly closed.
Carefully remove the bubbling stew from the oven. Garnish generously with freshly chopped parsley and serve immediately with lemon wedges on the side for squeezing.
Chef's Notes
- Using a dry, nutty sherry like Fino or Amontillado builds incredible complexity that standard white wine cannot match in Spanish cuisine.
- For the most vibrant color and flavor, lightly toast the saffron threads in a dry pan for ten seconds before crumbling them into the stew.
- Leaving the stew uncovered in the oven provides radiant ambient heat that gently roasts the exposed edges of the seafood while the submerged portions poach delicately in the broth.
- Waxy potatoes like Yukon Gold or red potatoes are essential here; starchy varieties like Russets will fall apart and thicken the broth into a paste.
Storage
Refrigerator: 2 days — Store in an airtight container. Seafood quality degrades quickly.
Reheating: Reheat gently on the stovetop over low heat until the fish reaches 63 C. Do not microwave.
Troubleshooting
Mussels remain tightly closed after the cooking time
Cause: The mussels were dead prior to cooking and are unsafe to consume
Fix: Discard any unopened mussels immediately. Do not attempt to pry them open or serve them.
Prevention: Ensure mussels are alive before cooking by tapping any open shells. If they do not quickly close, discard them before adding to the stew.
White fish has broken apart and dissolved into the broth
Cause: Fish pieces were cut too small or the stew was stirred vigorously after adding the seafood
Fix: Cannot be fixed, but the stew will still taste delicious as a rustic, thick seafood ragout.
Prevention: Cut fish into substantial 5cm chunks and avoid stirring once the delicate seafood has been nestled into the broth.
Potatoes are still hard and chalky in the center
Cause: Potatoes were cut too large or the simmering time on the stovetop was insufficient
Fix: Remove the seafood to a warm plate and return the pot to the stove to simmer until the potatoes are completely tender, then return the seafood.
Prevention: Ensure potatoes are uniformly diced into 1.5cm cubes and test multiple pieces for tenderness before adding the quick-cooking seafood.
Cultural Context
Drawing heavy inspiration from classic Spanish coastal dishes like Zarzuela de Mariscos and Catalan Suquet de Peix, this rustic stew champions the concept of mar y montana. The deep, smoky backbone of pimenton pairs seamlessly with the ocean brine of fresh shellfish, celebrating the historical preservation and spice-trading traditions of the Iberian peninsula.
