Monkfish all i pebre with Vinaròs prawns

All i pebre, which literally means “garlic and paprika” is a culinary technique which originated in Catarroja, in the Albufera estuary in Valencia. This seafood recipe was originally made with European eel, an oily fish which is very common in the Albufera.

As this sauce can be combined with different types of fish, in Vinaròs sailors made a different all i pebre on every boat, but each as fabulous as the next, like the recipe below – monkfish all i pebre with Vinaròs prawns.

Preparation

Sprinkle the fish and prawns with salt. In a wide, deep pan, lightly fry the flour-coated monkfish and the prawns in a good splash of olive oil and then put to one side.

In the same pan, sauté the unpeeled garlic cloves until they are golden brown. Add the chillies and paprika and lightly fry in the white wine, making sure that they don’t burn. When the wine has evaporated, pour in a litre of water or fish stock and simmer for 10 minutes over a medium heat. Add salt to taste, followed by the monkfish and cook over a low heat for five minutes. Add the prawns and cook for another 2 minutes, adding salt to taste.

If you wish to give the stock more consistency, along with the prawns, add a slice of fried bread, 6 fried almonds and, if available, a piece of fried monkfish liver, all ground together.

In the case of an unexpected visit – something which never happened out on the boat – serve with potatoes to eke out the stew.