# Fish & Shellfish Romesçu / Romesco



## Sagittarius (May 18, 2017)

TARRAGONA ROMESÇU WITH FISH .. 

Tarragona, is located 1 hour south  of  Barcelona, on the Mediterranean Sea, in Spain.  This is the birthplace of the Catalan Salsa / Dip, and also a base for many of its stews and rices.  Romesçu dates back to the year 1324, and was documented in in the medieval cookbook, LIBRE DE SENT SOVI, and it is still reprinted today in the 4 provinces of Cataluyna:  Barcelona, Gerona, Tarragona and Lérida.   THE CLASSIC IS PREPARED WITH RED BELL PEPPERS, TOMATOES AND ALMONDS.  

Basically, there are uncountable recipes as there are families who prepare it.  It is basically a hazelnut, tomato, red bell pepper and garlic thick salsa, that it used with the famed Indigenious Calçots ( pronounced KAL SOTS ), an indigenious spring onion that is rarely found outside of Cataluyna.  

THE ROMESÇU OR ROMESCO SALSA, HAS A MILLION VARIATIONS AS YOU CAN SEE ON LINE ..

I shall provide you with 2 Links, however, our families have adopted their own traditional recipe ..   And the Recipe below is from Alicia Rios and Lourdes March however, with adoptions to our taste profiles.   

STANDARD USA LINK:  www.nytimes.com/201309/dining/Romesco-sauce-with-a-felxible-nature.html 


BOOK RECOMMENDATION:  Alicia Rios & Lourdes March:   www.amazon.es/Heritage-Spanish-Cooking-Alicia-Rios/...O...


RECIPE:

1 LARGE or 2 MEDIUM SIZED RED BELL seared on flame and peeled and de seeded and finely diced or minced.
3/4 Cup of Tarragona Evoo (  Spanish Evoo)
2 Red Ripe Tomatoes deseed & peeled  ( 200 Grams )  6  1/2 Ounces
1 Medium Onion ( I use Calçots in season or Leek and Shallot ) 
8 cloves garlic minced 
2 Cups of  Shell fish stock 
2 dried Capsicum Annum variety dried peppers
1 piece of day old Spanish / French / Italian Baguette style bread or Chapata Bread .. 
20 almonds  
3 sprigs parsley 
10 toasted hazelnuts 
THE SHELLFISH / FISH:
Select from these or similar:
401 Grams of Fresh Crabs - 13 ounces
Sword fish or Monk fish or Grouper 
4 Squid 
4 slices of Hake or Seabass or similar 
8 jumbo prawns or shrimps 

RECIPE: 

1)  Pour some Evoo into a sarten / skillet, and sauté the crabs. 
2)  At same time, in  a separate skillet, sauté the tomatoes,  onion or shallots and leeks and garlic .. 
3)  Place the stock in a stock pot.
4)  Break the crab into medium large pieces and put in the stock pot, with the tomato creation. ( DO NOT THROW THIS LIQUID OUT ! ) 
5)  Cover this and slow low flame simmer for approx. 20 to 25 minutes.
6)  Now, strain the broth and place in tented casserole of glass. 
7)  In a skillet, place some Evvo and saute the following for the ROMESÇU: 
dried peppers, day old bread, the hazelnuts, the almonds, and the garlic. NOW, PRIOR TO THIS, THE RED BELLS are seared on flame or placed under oven broiler and then, let cool and de-seed and peel and dice or mince.  
Sauté until it forms into a thick smooth PESTO type textured SALSA .. 
8)  Now,  prepare the squid and prawns, in Evoo ..  And add a little of the Crab liquid to the sauté-ing skillet. 
9) As this is saute-ing, add the rest of the fish types and lastly the prawns as they cook up extremely quickly. 

Pour the broth that was reserved and simmer for 10 minutes on a very low slow flame. 

NOTE:  MANY PEOPLE USE RED BELL PEPPERS IN THEIR ROMESCO. THIS IS A VARITATION AND IT CAN BE COMBINED WITH THE TOMATOES OR JUST THE SEARED / GRILLED RED BELL PEPPERS. 

THE NEW YORK TIMES OFFERS, A GOOD VIDEO ON HOW TO SEAR THE RED BELL PEPPERS. 

Have a lovely day.


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