Oven-baked prawn fideuà

A flavourful Spanish dish called Fideuà, which is similar to paella but made with pasta instead of rice. It’s topped with succulent prawns and served with a homemade aioli and charred lemons.

By Matt Tebbutt
From Saturday Kitchen

Ingredients

For the Fideuà

• Onion, roughly chopped: 1
• Carrot, peeled and roughly chopped: 1
• Celery sticks, roughly chopped: 2
• Garlic cloves: 3
• Olive oil: 2 tbsp
• Bay leaf: 1
• Sweet smoked paprika: 1 tsp
• Wood roasted peppers, finely chopped: 1 small jar
• Amontillado sherry: 100ml/3½fl oz
• Shellfish stock (not fish stock): 800ml/1½ pints
• Raw tiger prawns, heads and shells removed and saved, deveined and chopped: 20
• Large prawns, shell on: 4
• Angel hair pasta or fideos: 300g/10½oz
• Lemon, cut into quarters: 1
• Finely chopped parsley: 1 tbsp
• Large raw tiger prawns, in shell: 3

For the Aioli

• Free-range egg yolks: 2
• Garlic cloves: 4
• Extra virgin olive oil: 100ml/3½fl oz
• Light olive oil or vegetable oil: 100ml/3½fl oz
• Lemon, to squeeze: to taste

Method

Step 1: Prepare the Base

1. In a food processor, blend onions, carrot, celery, and garlic.
2. Transfer the mixture to a shallow ovenproof casserole with oil over medium heat.
3. Fry for 10 minutes until softened.
4. Add bay leaf, paprika, and peppers.

Step 2: Deglaze and Prepare Stock

1. Increase heat to high and deglaze the pan with sherry, reducing by half (1-2 minutes).
2. In a separate saucepan, bring shellfish stock and prawn shells to a boil, then simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Preheat the oven to 240°C (220°C Fan/Gas 9).

Step 3: Assemble and Cook Fideuà

1. Add pasta to the vegetable pan.
2. Strain the stock over the pasta.
3. Stir in peeled prawns.
4. Place the 4 large shell-on prawns on top.
5. Transfer to the oven and cook for about 8 minutes until prawns are cooked through.

Step 4: Prepare Charred Lemons

1. In a dry frying pan, cook lemon quarters cut-side down for 4-5 minutes until charred.

Step 5: Make the Aioli

1. In a clean food processor, blend egg yolks and garlic.
2. Slowly add oil while the processor is running until it reaches a mayonnaise-like consistency.
3. Season with salt, pepper, and lemon juice.

Step 6: Serve

1. Remove fideuà from the oven.
2. Sprinkle with fresh parsley.
3. Serve with the homemade aioli and charred lemon quarters.