Catalan fish and seafood cazuela

Ingredients

Ingredients for 4 people: 15 squid rings. 4 pieces of monkfish. 4 pieces of grouper, sea bass, etc. 4 pieces of whiting or hake. 4 langoustines or prawns. 4 Norway lobsters. 24 mussels. 1 large onion. 3 large ripe tomatoes. 1 bay leaf. 1 glass of dry sherry. 1 small glass of cognac or rum. 200 ml oil. 2 cloves of garlic. 1 strand of saffron. 6 shelled toasted almonds. 2 plain biscuits. 1 lemon. 8 triangular fried croutons. Parsley and black pepper.

Preparation

Fry the squid rings in a frying pan, and when they begin to brown, add the chopped onion. When the onion is brown, add the peeled, chopped and seeded tomatoes. Leave it all to fry on a high heat, and then add the sherry and cognac and allow to burn off. Then, tip the mixture into a saucepan or pot. Meanwhile, add the rest of the oil to the frying pan and fry the fish and seafood on a high heat after seasoning them with salt and a little black pepper. Boil the mussels in a little water until they open and the part of the shell that doesn't contain the mollusc can be removed. As they cool down, place them in the pot with the squid mixture, without piling them up. Once the fish and seafood have been added to the pot, pour a little stock or just water, as well as a little tomato sauce if available, into the frying pan. Bring to the boil and add to the pot. The sauce should be scant, without covering the ingredients of the dish. Leave to cook for another 15 minutes. With a small pestle and mortar, mash the saffron, peeled garlic cloves, a few leaves of parsley, almonds and biscuits. Crush everything well into a smooth paste, then dilute with a little sauce from the pot and spoon over the fish and shellfish. Place the pot in the oven on a medium setting to finish cooking.

Presentation

Before serving, remove the bay leaf, squeeze over the juice of the lemon, sprinkle with chopped parsley and the croutons and garnish the rims.