Catalan / Spanish · Spain
Fishermen’s stew from the Catalan coast — monkfish, prawns, saffron broth, and a toasted almond picada.
Prep
25 min
Cook
40 min
Servings
4
Difficulty
Medium
Suquet de peix is the Barcelona pot tourist paella pretends to be: a day’s catch, potatoes, a saffron-tomato broth, and a picada of toasted almonds and garlic mashed with parsley. It comes from fishing towns, not laminated waterfront menus.
Use monkfish (rape) for texture, plus prawns and mussels for brine. Serve with crusty bread, then go find a marisquería in Born or a grill inland from Barceloneta.
Pound toasted almonds, 2 garlic cloves, a handful of parsley, and a pinch of salt into a coarse paste. Add a spoon of olive oil. This is the flavour bomb — do not skip it.
In a wide cazuela or heavy pot, soften onion in olive oil. Add remaining garlic, paprika, grated tomato, and saffron. Cook until thick and jammy, 10–12 minutes. Splash in the wine and reduce by half.
Lay potato slices in the pot. Pour in stock to just cover. Season. Simmer 12–15 minutes until the potatoes are almost tender.
Nestle monkfish and prawns into the broth. Add mussels. Dot the picada over the top. Cover and simmer gently 8–10 minutes until the fish is just opaque, prawns are pink, and mussels open. Discard any that stay shut.
Rest 3 minutes. Finish with parsley and olive oil. Eat from the cazuela with bread — the broth is the point.
Dine out
Want the restaurant version in Barcelona? See seafood restaurants in Barcelona · Spain
Make the sofrito and potatoes ahead. Reheat, then add fish and shellfish just before serving so nothing overcooks.
No. Suquet is a stew with potatoes and picada. Paella is a rice dish. If a waterfront menu sells “suquet paella,” walk.