Fideua is the noodle-paella of the Cabanyal fishing quarter: short thin fideos noodles cooked in seafood stock with prawns, squid and monkfish, served with allioli on the side.

Fideua was reputedly invented in the 1930s by Gabriel Rodriguez Pastor, a young Gandia cook who ran out of rice on board a fishing boat and substituted fideos noodles. The legend says the captain found the noodles preferable to rice and the dish stuck. The Cabanyal port quarter and Gandia south of Valencia both claim the origin. The dish is now cooked across Valencia, with the noodles tipped vertical in the pan as they cook, served with allioli, at La Riua and Casa Carmela.

Where to eat Fideua in Valencia

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

  • Casa Carmela

    Order The paella valenciana cooked over orange-wood embers, ordered when you book.

    Casa Carmela on the Malvarrosa beachfront in Valencia has cooked wood-fired paellas to order since 1922, with a 20-strong rice repertoire and a lunch-only.

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  • Casa Roberto

    Order The paella valenciana ordered ahead, with the croquetas and salmorejo to start.

    Casa Roberto on Carrer del Mestre Gozalbo in Valencia's Eixample has cooked Roberto Aparicio's traditional paellas since 1986, with a long chef's record.

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  • La Riua

    Order The paella valenciana or the arroz a banda; the house Utiel-Requena tinto is honest.

    La Riua on Carrer del Mar in Valencia's old town has run a family-tavern rice kitchen since 1978, now in the third generation, with a dozen paellas.

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  • El Rall

    Order The paella valenciana for two cooked over wood, or the fideua a banda with seafood.

    El Rall on Carrer dels Tundidors in Valencia's old town has cooked paellas to order in a tiled medieval-corner dining room since 1980, with one of the wider.

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Make it at home

Serves 455 minEasy

Ingredients

  • 400g fideos noodles (short thin pasta noodles, around 1.5 cm)
  • 300g raw prawns, shells on
  • 300g squid, cleaned, sliced into rings
  • 200g monkfish or other firm white fish, cubed
  • 1 large ripe tomato, grated
  • 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
  • Generous pinch of saffron
  • 1.2 litres hot fish stock
  • 100ml extra-virgin olive oil
  • Sea salt
  • Allioli, to serve

Method

  1. Heat the olive oil in a 40 cm paella pan over high heat. Fry the prawns 1 minute per side; remove.
  2. Fry the squid for 2 minutes; remove. Fry the monkfish for 2 minutes; remove.
  3. Add the chopped garlic and the grated tomato, reduce for 3 minutes.
  4. Stir in the paprika off the heat for 10 seconds.
  5. Pour in the hot stock with the saffron, bring to a hard boil. Season with salt.
  6. Add the fideos noodles, distribute evenly across the pan. Cook for 8 minutes over medium-high heat.
  7. Return the seafood to the top of the pan in the last 2 minutes.
  8. Rest for 3 minutes. The noodles should be standing vertical at the top; the bottom should have a crisp socarrat crust.

Editor tip. Use real fideos (not vermicelli), around 1.5 cm long. The noodles standing vertical at the top is the visual marker that the fideua is done right.

Common allergens: Wheat, Shellfish, Fish.