Seafood fideuà

Video

Preparation

1. Boil the kettle. Empty the mussels into a colander and run under cold water, discarding any with broken shells. Tap each one on the side of the sink — they should be closed, or slowly close when tapped; throw away any that stay open. Pull off any barnacles or beards and rinse well, then keep covered with a cold, damp cloth until ready to cook. Peel the prawn shells on the body only, leaving the heads and tails intact, score down the backs, and pull out any gritty entrails. Chill until ready.
2. Put the saffron in a small cup, cover with 50ml kettle-hot water, and set aside for 10 minutes. Put the vermicelli in a bowl and crush into little pieces (about 1cm long) with your hands.
3. Heat the oil in a large frying pan with at least a 3cm lip, or a 40cm paella pan. Add the onion and stir around for 5 minutes until soft, then add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Tip in the vermicelli and cook for 5 minutes, stirring, until toasted brown, then stir in the paprika.
4. Keeping the heat moderate, stir through the monkfish, squid and saffron with its water, seasoning well. Spread out in an even layer, pour over the hot stock, and scatter the tomatoes on top. Bring to a simmer, then cover tightly with a lid or foil. Turn the heat to medium and cook for 6 minutes.
5. Uncover and stir to incorporate the dry top layer of pasta. Push the mussels into the pasta hinge-side down so they stand straight up, arrange the prawns on top, cover tightly, and cook for another 6 minutes, until the mussels are open, the prawns pink and the pasta cooked through. Simmer for another 2–3 minutes to cook off most of the remaining liquid (leaving a little to stop the pasta sticking), then leave to sit for 2–3 minutes. Squeeze over the lemon juice, arrange the wedges on top, and scatter with parsley before serving.