Mejillones en escabeche (Mussels in pickled sauce)

1.5 - 2 kg mussels 
1 glass of white wine
2 bay leaves
3 cloves garlic
100 ml virgin olive oil
100 ml white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons sweet or spicy paprika
pinch of salt (optional)









For starting clean the mussels very well and put them in a saucepan with a glass of white wine. Cover with a top lid and cook up to medium heat until all mussels are open. When ready drain (and keep the broth aside), remove the shells and reserve the cooked meat.


Low heat in a saucepan the olive oil with the garlic finely chopped. Let it cook until they get brown color. 

Then add the bay leaves chopped, along with the paprika. Stir constantly otherwise you can burn the paprika. Quickly pour the white wine vinegar and the broth from cooking the mussels, stir for couple of minutes and stop the heat.

Try and add a pinch of salt if it is need it, but usually is not necessary. Pour the marinade over the mussels. Let it cool to room temperature.

Conger in cider with prawns (Congrio a la sidra con gambas)

4 slices of conger or eel

2 glasses of cider 

1 onion 

2 medium tomatoes 

100 gr. / 1 cup peeled shrimp or prawns

12 mussels 

1 green pepper 

2 cloves of garlic 

1+1/2 cup water 
1 bay leaf

extra virgin olive oil 
parsley
flour

salt 

Season the conger or eel slices and roll in flour. Saute in olive oil (5 - 7 tablespoons) in a casserole and set aside. 

In the same casserole add 2 tablespoons oil. Cut onion into strips and fry slowly. After 5 minutes add the green pepper cutted into thin rings and the chopped garlic. 

Boild the mussels with a bay leaf and 1 and 1/2 glass of water. 

Meanwhile grate tomatoes, and when poached, add the tomatoes along with the water from the mussels and cook slowly for 5 minutes. Season if need it. 

After 5 minutes, add the slices of ​​eel and the cider. Allow to cook about 7 minutes. Then add the prawns and mussels and leave cooking another 3 minutes.

Use chopped parsley for garnish. 

Tips_ Traditionaly you can add boiled egg and sparagus on top also. 

Mussels and avocado spread (Paté de mejillones y aguacate)

1 can of pickled mussels (or 10 - 12 boiled mussels with a bay leaf) 
1 large avocado
A few drops of lemon
¼ sweet onion or fresh chives
2 tablespoon of thick mayonnaise
1 teaspoon of white wine



Drain the mussels well.
Peel the avocado and remove the bone.

Put in the glass of the mixer mussels, chopped avocado, few drops of lemon (important to avoid mixture oxidation), the chopped onion and mayonnaise and the white wine.

Putting the cool spread in a bowl. Cover it with plastic wrap, making sure the plastic touches the entire surface of the pate, to prevent it from rusting.

Paella Mixta (Chicken & Sea Food Paella)

2 chicken breasts

500 g of clams & 500 g prawns

1/2 kg of mussels

300 g squid rings

3 cups of rice

1 - 2 liters of fish broth

1 tablespoon of saffron

1 red pepper

2 large tomatoes without skin

2 cloves of garlic

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 lemon

½ teaspoon ground pepper

salt & 1 bay leaf

1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley

1 cup cooked peas (optional)

For starting cook the mussels, scraping clean the beard and all they have adhered to the shells. Place them in a covered pot with water and 1 bay leaf  for about 5 min. just until all of them are open. We take away the shell and put aside, leave some with one of the shells ( 4 -6) Keep the water. 

Fry lightly in the pan with olive oil the garlic, red pepper and finely chopped tomatoes & parsley.

Fideua Valenciana (Fideua from Valencia)

400 grs. of thick noodles
400 grs. of monkfish (or another white fish with thick meat)
400 grs. of red shrimps
200 grs. of prawns
150 grs. of clams
150 grs. of mussels
1 - 2 quid (Optional)
3 ripe tomatoes
2 garlic cloves
1 liter of fish soup
olive oil
4 threads of saffron
1 tea spoon of cayenne
salt

Boil the mussels with 1 glass of water in a covered pot with some water and bay leaves until they open. We´ll use the remaining water later on.

Pour some olive oil in a pan and fry the shrimps and prawns for a maximum of 3-4 minutes. Leave aside.

Paella de Marisco (Seafood Paella)

250g prawns

1 squid or cuttlefish

1 kg of mussels

200 gr of clams

1 red pepper

1 green pepper

2 tomatoes

parsley

5 black pepper balls

2 or 3 cloves garlic

salt

Few strands of saffron

2 cups of rice round

5 glasses of water or seafood / fish broth

food coloring

Extra virgin olive oil

The first thing we do is cook the mussels, scraping clean the beard and all they have adhered to the shells. We put them in a covered pot with water and 1 bay leaf for about 5 min. just until all of them are open. We take away the shell and put aside, leave some with one of the shells ( 4 to 6) Keep the water.