Fideua is the Valencian-Catalan noodle paella: short fideos toasted dry in olive oil, then cooked in fish stock with squid and seafood until the noodles stand straight.

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.

3 editor picks for Fideua in Barcelona, ranked by editorial score. All Barcelona signature dishes · Fideua across every city.