Best Catalan Stew With Lobster And Clams Recipes

Bullinada (Catalan Fish Stew With Aioli) image

Provided by Melissa Clark

Time 1h

Yield 6 servings

Number Of Ingredients 15

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
8 garlic cloves, 6 minced and 2 finely grated, passed through a press or crushed to a paste
1/4 teaspoon saffron threads
8 cups fish stock, or use a combination of vegetable stock and clam juice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 3/4 pounds new potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
1 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed
Strips of zest from 1/2 orange
Salt and black pepper
1 3/4 pounds skinless fish fillets, such as hake or monkfish
3/4 cup prepared mayonnaise
Juice of 1/2 lemon, plus more to taste
1/2 teaspoon Aleppo pepper, plus more for serving
1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves, plus more for serving

Steps:

In a large pot, heat oil over medium. Add onions, stirring occasionally, and cook until they begin to soften, about 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the minced garlic and cook until fragrant and lightly golden, 1 minute.
Stir in saffron, and pour in fish stock and wine. Add potatoes, fennel seeds, orange peel, a large pinch of salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook for about 25 minutes, until potatoes are tender.
Season fish with salt and pepper. Remove orange peels from soup and add fish. Cook, covered, over medium-low heat until fish is opaque and flaky, 4 to 14 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillets. Using a metal spatula or knife, break the fish into chunks.
In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, lemon juice, remaining garlic and Aleppo pepper. Slowly stir in a ladle of hot stock into mayonnaise mixture. Gently stir mayonnaise mixture into simmering soup. Heat through, without reaching a boil (the mayonnaise will curdle). Stir in parsley and taste, adding more salt if you'd like. When serving, garnish with more parsley and Aleppo.

Lobster Catalan (Aragosta Alla Catalana), Revisited image

Provided by Anthony Bourdain

Yield Serves 2-4 as an appetizer

Number Of Ingredients 8

1 small onion, peeled and cut into julienne
1/4 cup sherry vinegar
Salt to taste
2 (1 1/2-pound) lobsters (preferably female)
1/4 cup best-quality Spanish or Italian extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 small to medium tomato, cored and finely chopped, or 1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half

Steps:

In a small, non-reactive bowl, toss together the onion, vinegar and and few pinches of salt. Set aside to lightly pickle for at least 30 minutes and up to 6 hours.
Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil and cook the lobsters in it for 12 minutes. Remove them from the pot and, when cool enough to handle, twist off and crack open the tails, using a kitchen towel to protect your hands.
Remove the lobster roe (if available) from the place where the tail met the body. It is a coral-red bundle of tiny eggs. As best you can, delicately separate the eggs, taking care not to crush them, and set aside in a small bowl. Remove as much of the tomalley-the greenish substance found alongside the roe and possibly also in the head, that acts as the lobster's liver and pancreas, and which is quite delicious-and add it to the bowl with the roe.
Remove the meat from the shell and coarsely chop it. Remove the claws, crack them and extract the meat. Extract as much of the knuckle and body meat as possible. Arrange all of the lobster meat on a serving platter or in a serving bowl, cover and chill.
In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, mayonnaise and salt to taste. Fold in the reserved lobster roe and tomalley, taste and adjust seasoning accordingly.
When ready to serve, scatter the pickled onions and the tomatoes over the lobster. Pour the dressing mixture over the lobster and vegetables, and serve immediately.