-
1
Cook the Sofrito
10 Mins
Medium heat, ~175°C (350°F)
Heat the butter and olive oil in a large wide pot over medium heat. Add the onion, red and green peppers and grated carrot and cook for 8 minutes, stirring now and then, until soft and sweet-smelling. Add the garlic, tomato paste and paprika and cook for 2 minutes more until the paste darkens slightly and smells toasty.
Let the tomato paste fry for the full 2 minutes — raw paste tastes tinny, fried paste tastes rich.
Done when: Vegetables soft and glossy; tomato paste darkened and fragrant.
-
2
Build the Coconut Broth
10 Mins
Gentle simmer, ~90°C (195°F)
Pour in the coconut milk, cream, white wine and water, then crumble in the half bouillon cube. Stir well, bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 5 minutes so the flavours come together. Taste and add a pinch of salt only if it needs it — the bouillon and the Parmesan will add more later.
Do not boil the broth hard — coconut milk splits and turns grainy at a rolling boil.
Done when: Broth pale gold, creamy and smooth, gently simmering.
-
3
Add the Clams and Fish
6 Mins
Gentle simmer, ~90°C (195°F); fish to 63°C (145°F)
Add the scrubbed clams and the fish cubes to the simmering broth, cover and cook for 4 minutes. The clams will start to open and the fish will turn opaque. Discard any clams that stay closed.
Fish first, shrimp last — fish needs a little longer, and shrimp turn rubbery in seconds if they go in too early.
Done when: Clams opening; fish opaque and flaking easily; discard unopened clams.
-
4
Add the Squid and Shrimp
4 Mins
Gentle simmer, ~90°C (195°F); shrimp to 63°C (145°F)
Stir in the squid rings and shrimp, cover and cook for 3 to 4 minutes more, just until the shrimp turn pink and curl and the squid is opaque. Squeeze in the lime juice and stir in half the parsley.
Take the pot off the heat the moment the shrimp turn pink — they keep cooking in the hot broth.
Done when: Shrimp pink and curled; squid opaque and tender, not chewy.
-
5
Gratinate with Parmesan
5 Mins
Hot grill (broiler), 220°C (425°F)
Spoon the stew into a heatproof clay pot or ovenproof dish, scatter the grated Parmesan evenly over the top and slide it under a hot grill for 3 to 5 minutes until the cheese is melted, bubbling and lightly golden at the edges.
Watch the grill the whole time — Parmesan goes from golden to burnt in under a minute.
Done when: Cheese melted, bubbling and lightly golden; stew steaming underneath.
-
6
Rest and Serve
5 Mins
Serve hot, above 60°C (140°F)
Rest the pot for 2 minutes, then scatter the rest of the parsley over the top and carry it to the table in its clay pot, with lime wedges, coconut rice and patacones alongside. Serve in deep bowls, making sure every bowl gets fish, shrimp, squid and clams.
Serve it in the pot it was gratinated in — the cazuela is part of the dish, and it keeps the stew hot at the table.
Done when: Cheese still bubbling; every bowl full of mixed seafood in creamy broth.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Bring the clay pot to the table while the cheese is still bubbling and let everyone help themselves — the cazuela is at its best the moment the gratin comes off the grill, with lime squeezed over each bowl.
Colombia
2h
