Zarzuela de Marisco (Catalan Mixed Seafood Stew)

My husband’s family does a big seafood cataplana on holidays, and the first time I served them zarzuela de marisco instead, there was a brief, tense silence while everyone compared it, unfavorably at first, to the Portuguese version they grew up with. By the second bowl they had come around, because this Catalan seafood stew, despite covering some of the same ground as cataplana, gets somewhere different thanks to one ingredient Portuguese cooking rarely reaches for: a garlicky almond picada stirred in right at the end.

Zarzuela builds a rich tomato and wine base, gets a layer of smoky depth from a bit of diced Serrano ham, and then takes on whatever good seafood you can find, firm white fish, shrimp, mussels, clams, squid, simmered in stages so nothing overcooks. The almond picada goes in last, thickening the broth and giving it a nutty, savory backbone that makes this taste far more composed than a simple seafood soup.

If you already love a good mixed seafood pot, my own Cataplana de Marisco (recipe on the site) is the Portuguese take on this same idea, and my Fideua (recipe on the site) channels similar seafood flavors into a noodle dish instead of a stew. Zarzuela takes a little more attention than either, but it earns every bit of it.

Zarzuela de Marisco Recipe

Prep time: 25 minutes · Cook time: 35 minutes · Total: 1 hour · Servings: 6 · Calories: ~380 per serving

Ingredients

• For the picada:
• 1/4 cup blanched almonds, toasted
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon brandy or water
• For the stew:
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 oz Serrano ham or prosciutto, diced
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 ripe tomatoes, grated, or 1 cup canned crushed tomato
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 2 tablespoons brandy
• 3 cups fish or seafood stock
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 lb firm white fish fillets (such as monkfish, cod, or halibut), cut into large chunks
• 1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails left on
• 1 lb mussels, scrubbed and debearded
• 1 lb clams, scrubbed
• 8 oz squid, cleaned and sliced into rings
• Salt and black pepper, to taste
• Chopped parsley, for serving

Instructions

1. Make the picada: in a small food processor or mortar, pound or pulse the toasted almonds, garlic, and parsley with the brandy or water until you get a coarse, thick paste. Set aside.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large, wide pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the ham and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until it releases its fat and turns lightly golden.
3. Add the onion and bell pepper, and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until softened.
4. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant.
5. Stir in the grated tomato and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, until it darkens and thickens slightly.
6. Add the white wine and brandy, and simmer for 2 minutes to cook off the alcohol.
7. Pour in the fish stock, add the bay leaf, and bring to a gentle simmer.
8. Add the firm fish chunks and squid, and simmer for 4 minutes.
9. Add the mussels and clams, cover, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until they begin to open.
10. Add the shrimp and simmer, uncovered, for 2 to 3 more minutes, until the shrimp are pink and opaque and all the shells have opened. Discard any mussels or clams that stay closed.
11. Stir in the picada, season with salt and pepper, and simmer for 1 to 2 more minutes to let the sauce thicken slightly.
12. Remove the bay leaf, scatter with parsley, and serve immediately with crusty bread.

Recipe Notes

• Discard any mussels or clams that do not open after cooking; they should be thrown out rather than forced open, since it can be a sign the shellfish was not alive before cooking.
• Buy the freshest seafood you can find and cook it the same day; a good fish counter at a well-trafficked grocery store or a dedicated seafood market will steer you right.
• The picada, that garlicky almond paste stirred in at the end, is what separates a real zarzuela from a generic seafood stew, so do not skip it even though it looks like an odd extra step.
• Serve with crusty bread to soak up the sauce, or ladle it over rice for a heartier meal.