This is a classic thick seafood soup, which variations across all Mediterranean ports. This is an adaptation of my mother in laws recipe for Bouillabaisse.
INGREDIENTS
Wild red prawns (PRAW022)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (OOCA009)
Velvet crab (CRAB003)
Gamba arrocera
Hot guindilla pepper (PICK010)
Ñora paste (SPIC002)
Chipirones/Squid (SQUI002)
Almonds, 275g (ALMO205)
2 garlic gloves
1 leek
Onion
Green pepper
Carrot
1 fennel bulb
Anis del Mono (WLIQ2954) Or if you already it you can use Pernord pastis aniseed liqueur
STEPS TO MAKE IT
1. Peel 500g of wild red prawns reserving the shells and keeping the prawns to one side.
2. Add ½ cm of olive oil to a wide bottomed pan and place over a medium heat. Add 4 velvet crab cut in half, 500g of gamba arrocera, and the reserved shells. Fry for 10 minutes until roasted and sweet.
3. Cut one white onion in half, half green pepper, 1 carrot, 1 leek and 1 fennel bulb into 2 cm dice. Add to the roasted shell fish, along with 1 dried hot guindilla pepper. Cook gently for another 10 minutes until the vegetables are soft and browned.
5. Add 4 teaspoons of ñora paste (paprika paste), the peel from a third of an orange, ¼ of a wine glass of anise. Bubble and leave the alcohol to evaporate. Then only just cover the shell fish and vegetables with 2 litres of cold water and simmer for 40 minutes skimming away any impurities the rise to the top.
6. Strain the fully flavoured liquid through a fine sieve into a clean saucepan pressingly firmly to release maximum flavour. Add the vegetables to a blender, add 15 fried almonds and fried bread and blizz. Add back to the liquid to thicken it up.
7. On a separate pan fry two cloves of garlic, half a kg of chipirones (squid) cut in three and the reserved prawns, for 5 minutes. Add to the soup.
8. Serve with aioli, hot pepper flakes and lots of bread.
