This dish has a lot going on, but it is substantially easier to put together if you make the romesco sauce ahead of time. It works beautifully with saffron aioli and crusty pieces of bread. Adapted from lots of places: Food and Wine, NYTimes, The Spanish Radish, SBS Food, Caroline’s Cooking.

Ingredients

Romesco sauce

• 1/2 c whole almonds
• 1/2 c hazelnuts
• 2 slices day-old bread from a large French or Italian loaf, crusts removed
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 t sweet paprika
• 1 T smoked paprika
• 3 roasted red peppers (Ideally roast them yourself, but use canned if necessary. You can also use piquillo peppers as a substitute.)
• 2 T sherry vinegar
• 3 dried guajillo peppers (if you can get traditional Nora chiles, even better)
• 1-2 T tomato puree
• 6 T extra-virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper

Saffron aioli

• 3 T lemon juice
• A large pinch of saffron threads
• 1-2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1.5 t sea salt
• 1 t Dijon mustard
• 3 large egg yolks
• 1.25 c canola oil
• 2/3 c extra-virgin olive oil

Fish stew

• 1 small carrot, diced
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 2 sticks celery, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2-3 T tomato paste
• 1/2 c dry white wine
• 1 bay leaf
• 3-4 c stock (chicken, vegetable, or fish will work)
• 2 lbs of your favorite fresh fish assortment (I like firm white fish, scallops, mussels, shrimp, and clams)
• Large handful of fresh parsley, chopped
• Crusty bread

Instructions

Make the romesco sauce

1. Heat oven to 400 F.
2. Place almonds and hazelnuts on a baking sheet and roast until fairly dark, about 12 to 15 minutes. Set aside to cool.
3. Soak dried chiles in boiling water for 15 minutes, until softened. Drain and scrape out flesh, discarding skins.
4. Heat a glug of olive oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat and fry bread until golden all over, 4-5 minutes.
5. Remove bread from pan and drain on a paper towel-lined plate.
6. In a food processor, combine almonds, hazelnuts, fried bread, roasted red peppers, dried chiles, garlic, vinegar, paprika, olive oil, and tomato paste.
7. Blend until you have a coarse paste.
8. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
9. Store leftover romesco sauce in the fridge or freezer.

Make the aioli

1. Combine lemon juice and saffron in a small bowl, then let stand 15 minutes.
2. Combine canola and olive oil in a measuring cup with a pouring spout, then set aside.
3. Place lemon juice mixture, garlic, 1.5 t salt, Dijon, and egg yolks in a food processor or bowl deep enough to use with an immersion blender.
4. With the food processor/blender running, slowly add the oil mixture until the mixture is thick and creamy.
5. Chill until ready to serve.

Make the fish stew

1. In a large and heavy stew pot, heat 2 T olive oil over medium heat.
2. Add diced carrot, celery, and onion, and cook, stirring frequently, until soft and translucent.
3. Add garlic and tomato paste, and cook for 30 seconds, until fragrant.
4. Add wine, bay leaf, stock, 1/2 c romesco sauce, and bring to a simmer.
5. Cook for 10-15 minutes, until the flavors meld.
6. Add seafood, cover with lid, and cook until done, aka until the clams/mussels have begun to open and the fish is no longer transluscent. (The seafood will keep cooking in the warm broth.)
7. Serve in a bowl with a dollop of aioli, a spinkle of parsley, and a couple of pieces of toasted bread.