This mouth-watering squid and potato stew is local to Sète in the south of France and is based on a Rick Stein recipe. It is a hearty seafood stew in the tradition of bouillabaisse. The sweet thick scent of seafood and tomatoes melting together, is intoxicating.
INGREDIENTS Serves 4
Squid rings: about 120g per person (I used Frozen calamari rings. Life’s too short.)
3 tablespoons of olive oil
I onion finely sliced
4 cloves of garlic (3 sliced and one finely chopped)
60ml Cognac
1 red pepper finely sliced
2 medium tomatoes skinned and roughly chopped
1 tablespoon of tomato purée
A long strip of pared orange peel
A sprig of thyme
1 bay leaf
2 star anise
180ml dry white wine
600ml chicken stock
250g waxy potatoes
5 tablespoons Mayonnaise
Harissa paste
Flat leaf parsley
METHOD:
Heat a couple of tablespoons of the oil in a deep flat pan and fry the onion and the sliced garlic gently until soft but not brown.
Add the brandy, light it with a match and stand back! When the flames have died down, add the pepper, tomatoes, tomato purée, orange rind, thyme, wine, star anise and stock and bring to a gentle simmer.
In another pan, add a little olive oil: pat the squid dry then fry until browned and then add to the onion and garlic mix. Season with salt and pepper and leave it to stew gently for about an hour with the lid on but slightly ajar.
While that is simmering, cut the waxy potatoes into cubes and simmer in salted water until tender (about 7 minutes or so). Drain them and set them aside.
In a bowl, add the mayonnaise, the harissa paste to taste and the finely chopped clove of garlic. Check for heat, add more harissa if you like it really spicy.
When the squid is tender (check a ring to see if it’s soft and cuts easily), add the potatoes and with the lid off simmer for another 5 minutes or so until they’re well integrated into the dish and have taken on some of the flavours.
Take off the heat and stir in the garlicky, harissa mayonnaise.
Serve immediately sprinkled with chopped flat leaf parsley.
Serve with slices of French bread toasted and rubbed with a clove of garlic then drizzled with a little olive oil.
Original Recipe Rick Stein French Odyssey
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