Spanish Fideua with Farmers-Market Peppers, Green Beans and Saffron Alioli

Peel the shrimp and drop the shells into the stock along with the saffron. Bring to a bare simmer, hold it there for 10 minutes, then strain and keep hot.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 12 oz (350 g) fideos, or thin spaghetti snapped into 1-inch lengths
• 1 lb (450 g) large shrimp, shells on
• 4 cups fish or light chicken stock
• 1 generous pinch saffron threads
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 red bell peppers, cut into strips
• 6 oz (170 g) flat green beans, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 3 ripe tomatoes, grated on a box grater, skins discarded
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp sweet smoked paprika
• 1/2 cup alioli (garlic mayonnaise)
• Lemon wedges and chopped parsley, to serve

Instructions

1. Peel the shrimp and drop the shells into the stock along with the saffron. Bring to a bare simmer, hold it there for 10 minutes, then strain and keep hot.
2. Toast the dry noodles in the oil in a wide shallow pan over medium heat, stirring constantly, until they are the color of light honey — about 5 minutes. Scoop them out and set aside.
3. In the same pan, soften the onion, peppers and green beans with a pinch of salt for 8 minutes, until the peppers slump and sweeten.
4. Add the garlic and paprika, stir for 30 seconds, then pour in the grated tomato. Cook it down hard, stirring, for 5 to 6 minutes until it darkens and no longer looks watery. This sofrito is the flavor base; underdo it and the dish tastes thin.
5. Return the toasted noodles to the pan and stir to coat, then pour in the hot saffron stock. Season, spread everything into an even layer, and do not stir again.
6. Simmer briskly for 8 minutes, then nestle the shrimp on top and cook 4 minutes more, until the noodles have drunk the stock and their ends begin to stand up out of the pan.
7. Raise the heat for a final minute to catch the bottom, listening for a faint crackle — that is the socarrat forming, and it is the reason people fight over the pan.
8. Rest off the heat for 5 minutes, then scatter with parsley and serve straight from the pan with lemon wedges and a bowl of saffron-tinged alioli for spooning on top.
9. Fideua was reportedly invented aboard a fishing boat out of Gandia, where a crewman short on rice swapped in noodles to keep the captain from eating everyone's share of the paella. Whatever the truth of it, the Valencian coast has treated it as its own ever since, and cooks there will tell you it is judged by the same two things as paella: a proper sofrito and a well-caught socarrat. August is its best season, when peppers and flat green beans are at their sweetest and heavy enough in flavor to stand beside the shellfish.

Nutrition (estimated, per serving)

• Calories: 540 kcal
• Protein: 27g
• Fat: 21g
• Carbohydrates: 60g
• Fiber: 5g
• Sugar: 8g
• Sodium: 720mg