Catalonian-style, slow cooked and with a touch of Alicante
Often we associate Spanish paella with the coast, because it is true that often the best rice dices are found in the traditional coastal towns, right by the beach. But here El Nacional is also breaking with tradition and offers one of the best fish and seafood paellas in the Passeig de Gràcia, in the heart of Barcelona, without having to go down to the sea.
The paella from La Llotja is slow cooked, in the Catalonian-style, with a sauté of onion, pepper, tomato and squid, reduced and caramelized over a long time, to which a chopped sauce or Alicante ‘salmorreta’ is added, which is prepared here with oven roasted spicy red peppers and tomatoes, and the cuttlefish’s spleen, giving it a delicious taste of the sea. The rice is poured into this enriched sauté, which is bathed in a fish broth prepared with mantis shrimps, crabs and rockfish, to which a third portion of chopped food is added to give it even more flavour and the dish is finished in the oven. La Llotja’s paella normally has Norway lobsters, Mediterranean king prawns and Carril clams, but other ingredients may be incorporated, depending on the market.
Fideuá (Noodle paella) and black rice
In addition to the paella, rice-lovers can also enjoy a black rice of fish and shellfish, with similar ingredients to those used in paella, plus the cuttlefish’s ink. And for those who prefer pasta, noodle paella or fideuá, with garlic mayonnaise, the typical sauce based on garlic and oil that accompanies this type of dish all along the Mediterranean coast.
