Home > Recipes > Paella recipes > Fish stock for paella

Fish stock for paella

Name: Fish stock for paella
Yield: for 4 people
Cuisine: Spanish recipes
Ingredients: 4 tbsp good quality light olive oil; Shells and heads of 8 tiger prawns (see method); 1 fish head or bones of 1 fish; 1 medium onion, peeled and diced; 2 fennel bulbs, diced; 5 spring onions, thickly sliced; 3 plum tomatoes, diced; 2 tbsp tomato purée; 1 tsp smoked sweet paprika; 125ml brandy; Bunch fresh thyme; 2 bay leaves; 5 tsp sea salt

Published: 31 May 08
Updated: 18 Mar 24

A proper fish stock is essential if you want to get the same depth and richness of flavour for paella as the Spanish do.

Easy
June 2008

Test kitchen approved

for 4 people
Ready in just over an hour

A proper fish stock is essential if you want to get the same depth and richness of flavour for paella as the Spanish do.

Save recipe

Save

Save recipe Print

Rate

Ingredients

4 tbsp good quality light olive oil
Shells and heads of 8 tiger prawns (see method)
1 fish head or bones of 1 fish
1 medium onion, peeled and diced
2 fennel bulbs, diced
5 spring onions, thickly sliced
3 plum tomatoes, diced
2 tbsp tomato purée
1 tsp smoked sweet paprika
125ml brandy
Bunch fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
5 tsp sea salt

Cook Mode Sticky screen? No thanks! Tap to prevent your screen from going off while cooking.

Method

To make the stock, heat the olive oil and cook the prawn heads, shells and fish head or bones for 1-2 minutes in a large saucepan (large enough for all the ingredients and 1.8 litres of water), breaking up the shells with a wooden spoon. Add the onion, fennel and spring onions and sweat over a medium heat for 10-15 minutes until they start to caramelise. Add the tomatoes, tomato purée and paprika and cook for 5 minutes more.
Pour the brandy into a ladle, light with a match and then immediately pour over the stock, allowing the alcohol to burn away. Deglaze the pan with a little hot water, scraping all the caramelised ingredients from the bottom with a wooden spoon, then add the thyme, bay leaves and 1.8 litres of water. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour, reducing the liquid to leave about 1.1 litres of stock.