Els Pescadors ★ 4.5
Els Pescadors in Barcelona's Poblenou is the historic plaça-de-Prim seafood room: arroz a banda, suquet, fresh catch from Vilanova fishermen direct.
History
Fideua emerged in the 1930s on a Valencia fishing boat near Gandia. The crew's cook was making paella and ran out of rice, so substituted dried short fideo noodles. The dish travelled along the Catalan coast and by the 1950s every Mediterranean Catalan-coast town had its own version. The Barcelona reading layers shorter fideo noodles, dry-toasted in olive oil to nutty colour, then a fish-stock simmer with squid, prawns, and rouge fish. The serving comes with aioli on the side to dollop on top. Els Pescadors in Poblenou cooks the most lauded version in the city; the Barceloneta seafront rooms keep close.
Common allergens: Gluten, Shellfish
Make it at home
Ingredients
- 400g short fideos noodles
- 400g squid, cleaned and cut into rings
- 300g raw prawns, shell on
- 1.5L good fish or shellfish stock, hot
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 3 tomatoes, grated
- 100ml olive oil
- 1 tsp sweet smoked paprika
- A pinch of saffron, salt
- Aioli to serve
Method
- Heat olive oil in a wide paella pan or shallow skillet. Add the dry fideos and toast over medium heat, stirring, until deep amber, about 5 minutes. Remove and set aside.
- In the same pan, sauté the onion until soft. Add tomato and paprika; cook to a sofrito.
- Add the squid, sauté 2 minutes. Add the prawns, sauté 2 minutes more.
- Return the fideos to the pan, mix with the sofrito and seafood.
- Pour in the hot stock with saffron and salt. Simmer uncovered for 8 to 10 minutes, without stirring, until the liquid is absorbed and the noodle tips stand straight up.
- Rest 5 minutes off heat. Serve with aioli.
Tip from the editors. Do not stir during the simmer; the fideos must stand upright in the dry crust at the end. The bottom should have a socarrat-style colour.
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 fideua
Fideua in Barcelona
Somorrostro ★ 4.3
Somorrostro in Barcelona's Barceloneta is the modern Catalan room where the black rice with squid is the order and the natural-wine list is the surprise.
Signature: Black rice with squid, Catalan fideua
Order: The black rice with squid and aioli, plus an albariño.
Tip: Closed Tuesday. The lunch carte is the price point; dinner adds 25 percent.
7 Portes ★ 4.3
7 Portes in Barcelona's Born has run since 1836: arched rooms, brass plaques on regulars' tables, a paella for each day of the week.
Signature: Parellada paella, Catalan cream
Order: The Thursday paella Parellada and the crema catalana to finish.
Tip: Lunch is easier than dinner; the noon paella is held on the menu every day of the week.
More cities are in research. Want fideua covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.