Casa Manolo (Daimus) 1 ★ ★ 4.6
Casa Manolo in Daimus south of Valencia is chef Manuel Alonso's one-Michelin-star room, a beachfront restaurant since 1972 with a rice and seafood tasting tradition.
History
All i pebre (garlic and pepper) is the canonical fishermen's stew of La Albufera, the freshwater lagoon south of Valencia where eels were trapped in the rice-paddy channels. The dish was cooked over open fires in the lagoon's fishing villages, especially El Palmar. Eel pieces are simmered with garlic, sweet paprika, almonds and potatoes until the broth thickens. The dish remains the El Palmar specialty, served in the village's arrocerias with eel from the Albufera itself.
Common allergens: Fish
Make it at home
Ingredients
- 800g eel, cleaned, cut into 4 cm pieces
- 10 garlic cloves, peeled
- 60g blanched almonds
- 2 teaspoons sweet paprika (pimentonon)
- 1 dried nora pepper, or 1 teaspoon nora pepper paste
- 500g new potatoes, peeled and sliced 1 cm thick
- 1 litre water
- 100ml extra-virgin olive oil
- Sea salt
Method
- Heat the olive oil in a wide heavy pot over medium heat. Fry the garlic cloves and almonds until lightly golden, about 3 minutes. Remove and crush in a mortar with the nora pepper to form a thick paste.
- Add the potato slices to the same oil, fry for 5 minutes until they take on colour.
- Take the pot off the heat. Stir in the paprika for 10 seconds.
- Pour in the water; bring to a hard boil.
- Add the eel pieces and the garlic-almond paste. Season with salt. Simmer covered for 15 minutes.
- The broth should thicken; if it does not, mash a few potato slices into the broth.
- Rest for 5 minutes covered. Serve hot with crusty bread.
Tip from the editors. The garlic-almond paste is what thickens the broth. Pound it in a real mortar; a blender breaks the structure. Eel can be substituted with monkfish if fresh eel is hard to find.
This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.
Where to eat all i pebre
All i pebre in Valencia
Casa Montana ★ 4.5
Casa Montana on Carrer de Josep Benlliure in Valencia's Cabanyal fishing quarter has poured wine from oak barrels and served tapas since 1836, with a 1,500-bottle wine cellar.
Signature: Esgarraet, Anchoas del Cantabrico, Atun en aceite
Order: The esgarraet (salt-cod with roasted red peppers) and a glass of Utiel-Requena bobal from the barrel.
Tip: Reserve ahead, especially for weekends. Closed Sunday. The wine list runs deep into local Valencian small producers.
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