FEEDS 6
As you would expect, Spanish colonial influences can be seen throughout Mexico. The steady and fruitful exchange of ideas between chefs in both countries is thanks to a shared language and mutual admiration. I met Alfredo Villanueva Ulloa when cooking at a festival, and he came to cook at Nicos when I was doing a stage there. He made a chicken rice that was ravishing. This is my seafood version, with an irresistibly spicy habanero allioli. It makes for a perfect weekend feast.
Ingredients
1kg clams
60ml (¼ cup) olive oil
20g butter
1 large onion, finely diced
2 fennel bulbs, finely diced, fronds saved
2 celery sticks, finely diced
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon fennel seeds, ground
1 large cinnamon stick
2 teaspoons sea salt
3–4 large garlic cloves, chopped
2 generous pinches of saffron strands
300g Spanish bomba, Calasparra or risotto rice
240ml (1 cup) white wine
1 litre (4 cups) fish stock zest and juice of 1 lemon, plus lemon wedges to serve
Small bunch of flat-leaf parsley, chervil or dill, finely chopped
For the habanero allioli
1 dried habanero chilli or Scotch bonnet
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1 heaped teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1½ tablespoons cider vinegar zest and juice of ½ lemon
1 egg, plus 1 yolk
100ml (½ cup) vegetable oil
100ml (½ cup) extra virgin olive oil
METHOD
Clean the clams in cold water and empty into a colander to remove any grit. Discard any that refuse to open.
Heat the oil and butter in a large, 32–34cm paella pan over a medium heat. Add the onion, fennel, celery, bay leaves, fennel seeds, cinnamon stick and salt. Cook for 15 minutes until the onion starts turning translucent and soft; this makes the classic Spanish ‘sofrito’, slow cooking the vegetables to release their sugars.
Stir in the garlic and saffron and continue to cook for another 5 minutes. Next, stir in the rice and carry on stirring for 1 minute to coat the grains in the fat. Now pour in the wine and allow it to bubble for a minute, then add the stock. Cover the pan with foil and leave to cook for 25–30 minutes until the rice is al dente. About 5 minutes before the end of the cooking time, scatter over the clams and cover again, allowing them to steam cook. If the rice looks too dry, add a little more hot water or stock, but note that a good paella will form a deliciously caramelised crust on the bottom of the pan – this is the socarrat, the prized part of the dish.
Meanwhile, make the allioli. If using a habanero chilli, cover it with boiling water and submerge with a weight. Soak for 10 minutes.
Put the half the habanero or Scotch bonnet into a jug (pitcher) and blitz with a hand-held blender. Add the garlic, salt, mustard, vinegar and lemon zest and juice. Crack in the egg and extra yolk. Beat in the vegetable oil, drop by drop at first, then pour it in a thin stream. Now slowly beat in the olive oil. If it splits, whisk in a splash of hot water to bring it back together. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
When the rice is ready, scatter over the lemon zest and juice and the chopped herbs. Serve at the table, along with the allioli and lemon wedges.
Edited recipe extract from Mexican Table
by Thomasina Miers, published by Quadrille. Available now internationally.
