2021 Vuelta - Stage 8: Santa Pola to La Manga del Mar Menor
Today, the riders enter the region of Murcia, the namesake of today’s dish: Murcian Fish Stew. Looking at a few recipes and seeing how much fish was needed, I figured this would be something like a French bouillabaisse. But, as I examined them closer, all of the fish was being used to make a stock and you'd only end up with shrimp in the final product. I decided to make a shortcut/weeknight version for a couple of reasons. First, our markets here are nothing like they are in Europe. You can’t just ask the fish monger, “hey, you have any heads or extra fish parts back there?” They will look at you like you asked them for their SSN; it’s a lonely place to be. Second, I wasn’t about to buy a bunch of market-priced fish (as opposed to cheap scraps) just to make a stock and throw it all away either. Instead, I enhanced store-bought fish stock by trying to “beef it up” using the shells from the shrimp and aromatics. I was pretty pleased with the shortcut results and you can do a lot worse than this weeknight meal.
Shortcut Murcian Stew
1 lb shrimp, shells reserved
2 dried ñora chilis (or other small mild red chili)
6 cups store-bought fish stock
2 onions
Peppercorns
Parsley
Bay leaf
Cayenne pepper
Green pepper
Garlic
2 cups bomba/calaspara rice
Paprika
14 oz can diced tomatoes
In a medium sauce pot, heat 1 tbsp of oil over medium-high heat and add the shrimp shells. Tear the dried chilis up into the pot and stir in 1 rough-chopped onion along with a pinch of salt. Cook until the chilis have toasted and the shrimp shells start to char and the bottom of the pot starts to turn brown. Pour in the fish stock, adding 1 tbsp peppercorns, 2 bay leaves, a couple of sprigs of parsley and 2 smashed cloves of garlic. Bring to a steady boil and reduce by half, about 15-20 minutes. Pour the stock through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl, pressing the juice from the solids. Reserve the broth and discard the solids.
While the stock develops, whisk together 2 tbsp of olive oil, 2 minced cloves of garlic, and pinches of cayenne pepper, paprika, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Stir the cleaned shrimp into the marinade, coating completely, and set in the fridge.
Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a Dutch oven, set over medium-high heat, and stir in a fine-diced green pepper and onion with a pinch of salt. Sauté until softened, about 6-8 minutes. Then, stir in 2 minced cloves of garlic until fragrant. Add the rice to the pot, stirring to coat with the oil and vegetable renderings and toast for about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Next, add in 1 tsp of paprika and stir until fragrant, then stir in the can of diced tomatoes. Finally, add 3 cups of reserved stock and bring to a boil. When the pot comes to a boil, cover and reduce the heat to low. Cook for 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes, remove the lid and place the shrimp about a half-inch into the rice, leaving the tails exposed. Cover and cook for an additional 10 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and let sit for 5 more minutes. Plate, sprinkling each dish with some minced parsley.
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Copyright 2021, Brendan McCann, All Rights Reserved.
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