Preparation: 

First, chop the onion very finely and then fry it lightly in a suitable pan for the this amount of onion. It’s a good idea to have a thick-bottomed pan so it can cook for a good while without burning.

Once the onion has turned golden brown, add the crushed garlic and cook it until it has turned golden brown as well. At this point, add the tinned tomato, pureed and strained. Gently fry this mix until the water has evaporated. Finally, add the finely chopped pepper and leave it on a low heat for a few minutes, then remove it.

Now prepare the fish stock. Remove the guts from the rockfish, and the skin and gills from the head of the monkfish, wash them and leave them in cold water for a few minutes. Meanwhile, chop the onion, carrot, leek, celery, garlic and mushroom.

Drain the fish. Put the oil in a pan and stew the onion for a few minutes. Then add the garlic and the leek, and after a few minutes, the carrot and mushroom. Stew everything and at the end add the celery. When this mix has a light golden colour, add the red pepper, let it cook a few seconds, then add the tomato. Let it cook until the water has been reduced, then add the drained fish, white wine, white pepper and herbs. Cook this until the alcohol in the wine has evaporated. Cover it with cold water and leave it on a low heat. Let it cook for 20 minutes, skimming off the scum every so often. Then let it infuse for 10 minutes and finally, strain it.

Remove the shells and intestines from the scallops. Warm a frying pan and cook the scallops until golden. Remove them from the pan and add the well-strained prawn tails to the same oil. Remove them and add the diced red and green pepper and cook them on a high heat but leave them a little raw. The peppers are optional.

Heat the sofregit mix and drain any excess oil, then add the rice and stir it in. Add the bay laurel and the stock, heating it in batches. Keep stirring, without stopping, so the rice releases the starch and binds the broth. Add more salt and pepper to taste, keep stirring and covering the rice with the stock until it is cooked and has the texture you like. With 2 minutes to go, add the scallops, prawns and sautéed peppers.

Take the pan off the hob, add the Parmesan cheese and stir it in well. When it is ready, add a few more Parmesan shavings and serve.

Recipe courtesy of the Mercabarna Fish Market Wholesalers’ Guild.