Ingredients Serves 4: 400g fideuà noodles (no. 2 or no. 3 thickness) 1 medium cleaned cuttlefish 8 prawns or langoustines 1 litre fish stock (fumet) 1 onion 1 small green pepper 2 garlic cloves 1 ripe tomato, grated 1 tablespoon sweet paprika A few strands of saffron Extra virgin olive oil Salt For the traditional allioli: 3–4 garlic cloves (depending on size and preferred intensity) Extra virgin olive oil with a mild flavour (approximately 150–200 ml) A generous pinch of coarse salt Equipment: a paella pan or wide, shallow frying pan; mortar and pestle for the allioli (optional) Preparation time: 45 minutes Difficulty: medium Steps to follow Finely chop the onion, green pepper and garlic. Dice the cuttlefish. Add a good splash of oil to the pan and, once hot, briefly sear the prawns or langoustines on both sides. Remove and set aside. In the same pan, add the onion and green pepper and gently cook over a low heat until very soft. Add the chopped garlic and, a minute later, the cuttlefish. Turn up the heat and cook until the liquid has evaporated and the cuttlefish begins to brown. Lower the heat, add the sweet paprika, stir quickly to prevent it from burning and immediately add the grated tomato. Let the sofregit reduce until the oil separates from the tomato. Add the noodles to the pan and toast them for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly so they soak up all the flavour from the sofregit and turn golden. Pour in the fish stock, which should be boiling. Spread the noodles evenly in the pan. Add the saffron if using and season to taste. Cook over a medium-high heat for the time indicated on the noodle packet (around 10–12 minutes). A couple of minutes before the end of the cooking time, arrange the prawns you set aside decoratively on top. Let the fideuà finish cooking and the stock reduce almost completely. To get the noodles to stand upright, you can place the pan under a preheated grill at 200 °C for the last two minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the traditional allioli: crush the garlic with a pinch of salt in a mortar until you get a very fine paste. Then slowly add the oil—first drop by drop, then in a thin stream—stirring vigorously with the pestle the whole time until it emulsifies and thickens. Presentation and recommended dressings Catalan fideuà should be left to rest for a few minutes off the heat before serving, ideally brought to the table in the same pan. Fideuà with allioli is the perfect pairing. Serve a bowl of homemade allioli alongside so that each guest can help themselves to taste. This coastal dish pairs beautifully with a fresh white wine with good acidity. For example, a DO Penedès wine made from xarel·lo grapes, or a wine from DO Alella made with pansa blanca. Its freshness is ideal for cleansing the palate and complementing the flavours of the sea. Other related recipes Black rice (arròs negre) Catalan seafood paella Fish stew Catalan fish medley (sarsuela de peix)