José Andrés’s Red Snapper Stew
Suquet is a classic Catalan fisherman’s stew. This version from José Andrés is one he made for the World Central Kitchen team’s family meal in Mozambique after Cyclone Idai hit in 2019. Andrés describes it as a “Mozambican-Spanish-Catalan-American fish stew.” The secret is the Catalan trick of adding picada, a dense blend of almonds, toasted bread, garlic and olive oil, which thickens the stew. Everything else is more or less negotiable, Andrés says. In Mozambique, he used red snapper, though Catalans prefer monkfish.
Make ahead: The picada can be made up to 1 day in advance.
Storage: Refrigerate for up to 3 days.
Ingredients
For the picada
- 1/4 cup blanched almonds
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 slices (1/2-inch-thick) baguette, preferably stale
- 2 medium cloves garlic
For the stew
- 4 medium plum tomatoes (1 pound total), halved
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 medium cloves garlic, minced or finely grated
- 2 1/2 cups fish broth
- 1 1/2 cups dry white wine, such as albariño
- 1 pound waxy potatoes, such as Red Bliss, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 teaspoon pimentón (smoked paprika)
- Fine salt
- 2 pounds red snapper fillets, skinned, cut into 1-inch chunks
- Fresh or toasted slices of baguette, for serving
Directions
Step 1
Make the picada: In a small, dry skillet over medium heat, toast the almonds, stirring regularly to make sure they don’t burn, until starting to brown and release some oil, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl. Add the olive oil to the skillet and heat it for about 30 seconds, until hot, then add the bread and toast until golden brown on both sides, about 1 minute per side. Remove from the heat and transfer to a plate.
Step 2
In a small mortar, crush the garlic with a pestle until it’s broken down into a paste. (Alternatively, use a mini food processor to finely chop the garlic.) Add the almonds and pound (or process) them together until the almonds are finely ground. Add the bread and continue to crush (process) until you have a finely ground mixture. Set aside until ready to use.
Step 3
Make the stew: Use the large holes of a box grater to grate the flesh of each tomato half over a small bowl to make a loose tomato sauce; discard the skins.
Step 4
In a heavy-bottomed pot or large pan over medium heat, heat the olive oil until shimmering. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant and sizzling, about 30 seconds. Add the grated tomatoes and continue cooking, stirring regularly, until the sauce thickens a bit, 8 to 10 minutes.
Step 5
Add the fish broth, wine, potatoes and pimentón and stir to combine. Cook, uncovered, until the potatoes are tender and the liquid has reduced by about one-third, 15 to 20 minutes. If the sauce begins to reduce too quickly, cover the pot and continue cooking until the potatoes are tender.
Step 6
Taste, and season with salt if desired. Stir in the picada to incorporate. Add the fish and gently stir to cover with the sauce. Cover and cook until the fish is opaque and cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, ladle into bowls and serve warm, with lightly toasted baguette slices on the side.
Substitutions
No red snapper? >> Use monkfish.
No fish broth? >> Try chicken or vegetable broth.
