Arrosejat

This simple rice dish is from the fishing town of Calafell, just south of Barcelona on Spain’s northeast coast. This is usually made with whatever fish is caught, and best eaten for midday with a garlic sauce called alioli

4 TBS olive oil

5 cloves garlic

2 TBS smoked paprika

1 slice of white bread, diced

5 potatoes, cut into french fry–size strips (about 3 x1⁄2 inches)

1 pound fish fillet, sliced into 3-inch pieces

21⁄2 cups fish stock

salt

1⁄2 cup rice or fine vermicelli, snapped into 1-inch lengths

1 small onion, chopped fine

• In a heavy saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil; fry garlic and paprika until garlic is pale gold. Stir in diced bread; fry until lightly crisped. Turn off heat. Transfer garlic and bread mixture to a blender or food processor.
• Add 1 cup broth; blend until smooth. Set aside. Return the saucepan to fire; add the garlic-bread mixture and potatoes.
• Cover and simmer until the potatoes are tender, for about 20–25 minutes. (Add a bit more stock if necessary.)
• Ten minutes before the potatoes are ready, add fish, sprinkled with a little salt. Set aside when done.
• In another heavy saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat. Stir in rice or vermicelli and onion, frying until golden.
• Stir in 11⁄4 cups fish broth (the amount needed may be more or less, depending on the rice). Cover and bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat to lowest possible, and simmer until rice or vermicelli is done, for about 15 minutes. (Add more broth if necessary.)
• On individual plates, spoon next to each other a portion each of potatoes, fish, and rice. Serve immediately.