Fideos with Shrimp and Fennel
By Leah ColinsPublished on July 20, 2021
Time
50 minutes
Yield
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 ½ pounds shrimp, peeled and deveined, shells reserved8 ounces fideos (2 cups)1 fennel bulb, 2 tablespoons fronds minced, stalks discarded, bulb halved, cored, and sliced thin4 garlic cloves, minced1 ½ teaspoons smoked paprika 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus 2 teaspoons, divided1 teaspoon table salt, divided½ teaspoon pepper
Before You Begin
If you can’t find fideos, you can substitute thin spaghetti broken into 1- to 2-inch pieces (wrap bundle of pasta in a clean dish towel before breaking to keep things tidy).
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack 5 to 6 inches from broiler element and heat broiler. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in large saucepan over high heat until shimmering. Add shrimp shells and cook, stirring frequently, until spotty brown, 2 to 4 minutes. Carefully add 3¾ cups water and ½ teaspoon salt, scrape up any browned bits, and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Strain stock through fine-mesh strainer set over large bowl, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible; discard solids and reserve stock.
- Meanwhile, toss pasta and 2 teaspoons oil in broiler-safe 12-inch skillet until evenly coated. Toast over medium heat, stirring often, until browned and pasta has nutty aroma, 6 to 10 minutes; transfer to bowl.
- Add 2 tablespoons oil to now-empty skillet and heat over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add sliced fennel and ¼ teaspoon salt and cook until softened and beginning to brown, 4 to 6 minutes. Stir in garlic and smoked paprika and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in shrimp broth, pasta, ½ teaspoon pepper, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Bring to simmer, then reduce heat to maintain simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until most of liquid had been absorbed and pasta is just tender, 8 to 10 minutes.
- Stir shrimp into pasta then transfer skillet to oven and broil until shrimp are opaque throughout and surface of pasta is dry with crisped, browned spots, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with minced fennel fronds and serve immediately.
Time
50 minutesYield
Serves 4Ingredients
1 ½ pounds shrimp, peeled and deveined, shells reserved
8 ounces fideos (2 cups)
1 fennel bulb, 2 tablespoons fronds minced, stalks discarded, bulb halved, cored, and sliced thin
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 ½ teaspoons smoked paprika
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus 2 teaspoons, divided
1 teaspoon table salt, divided
½ teaspoon pepper
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
1 ½ pounds shrimp, peeled and deveined, shells reserved
8 ounces fideos (2 cups)
1 fennel bulb, 2 tablespoons fronds minced, stalks discarded, bulb halved, cored, and sliced thin
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 ½ teaspoons smoked paprika
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus 2 teaspoons, divided
1 teaspoon table salt, divided
½ teaspoon pepper
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
1 ½ pounds shrimp, peeled and deveined, shells reserved
8 ounces fideos (2 cups)
1 fennel bulb, 2 tablespoons fronds minced, stalks discarded, bulb halved, cored, and sliced thin
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 ½ teaspoons smoked paprika
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus 2 teaspoons, divided
1 teaspoon table salt, divided
½ teaspoon pepper
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
In Valencian and Catalan cuisine, fideuá is a classic seafood dish similar to paella, but made with short thin dried pasta (fideos) instead of rice. For our spin, we first browned fideos to develop deep toasty flavor, then simmered the pasta in a stock that we made from the usually discarded shrimp shells. We tossed it all together with licorice-y fennel and fat, juicy shrimp (extra-large shrimp, 21 to 25 per pound, is best here) and popped it under the broiler until the shrimp were cooked through and the noodles on top got nice and crispy
Before You Begin
If you can’t find fideos, you can substitute thin spaghetti broken into 1- to 2-inch pieces (wrap bundle of pasta in a clean dish towel before breaking to keep things tidy).
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack 5 to 6 inches from broiler element and heat broiler. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in large saucepan over high heat until shimmering. Add shrimp shells and cook, stirring frequently, until spotty brown, 2 to 4 minutes. Carefully add 3¾ cups water and ½ teaspoon salt, scrape up any browned bits, and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Strain stock through fine-mesh strainer set over large bowl, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible; discard solids and reserve stock.
- Meanwhile, toss pasta and 2 teaspoons oil in broiler-safe 12-inch skillet until evenly coated. Toast over medium heat, stirring often, until browned and pasta has nutty aroma, 6 to 10 minutes; transfer to bowl.
- Add 2 tablespoons oil to now-empty skillet and heat over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add sliced fennel and ¼ teaspoon salt and cook until softened and beginning to brown, 4 to 6 minutes. Stir in garlic and smoked paprika and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in shrimp broth, pasta, ½ teaspoon pepper, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Bring to simmer, then reduce heat to maintain simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until most of liquid had been absorbed and pasta is just tender, 8 to 10 minutes.
- Stir shrimp into pasta then transfer skillet to oven and broil until shrimp are opaque throughout and surface of pasta is dry with crisped, browned spots, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with minced fennel fronds and serve immediately.
Gift This Recipe
Enjoyed this dish? Let others know by sharing it as a gift recipe.
Keep Exploring
My Rating
This is a members' feature.
0 Comments