This Spanish seafood stew from Valencia, known as “zarzuela de pescado y marisco,” is what coastal Mediteranean food is all about. It’s packed with flavors, easy to make, and done in about 45 minutes. Serve it next to a crunchy baguette and a bottle of Spanish wine for a delicious meal.
To make this recipe, I used a combination of squid, cod, and shrimp. You can mix it up and use different types of seafood if you like. Either way, make sure to pat the seafood completely dry with paper towels. This will ensure the stew doesn’t get watered down and that the seafood absorbs all the flavors in the pan.
What truly flavors this seafood stew is the spices. Which is the classic Spanish combination of paprika and saffron. You can also add in some crushed red pepper for a spicy kick. As for the liquid, I used Spanish fish broth. But you can also use chicken broth or even vegetable broth if you prefer.
TIPS & TRICKS to Make this Recipe: The secret here is to not overcook the seafood. It took me about 5 to 6 minutes on the cod and 2 to 3 minutes on the shrimp. As for the squid. I sautéed it first and then removed it, and then added it back with the shrimp for perfectly cooked squid.
Key Ingredients & Cookware I used in this Recipe:
MY COOKWARE
MY CHEF´S KNIFE
EXTRA VIRGIN SPANISH OLIVE OIL
SPANISH GOLDEN SAFFRON
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Watch the Video Below on How to Make this Spanish Seafood Stew from Valencia
Spanish Seafood Stew from Valencia | Zarzuela de Pescado y Marisco
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil 90 ml
- 1 slice baguette 1 inch / 2.50 cm thick
- 6 cloves garlic (peeled)
- 12 blanched almonds
- 2 tbsp chopped parsley 5 grams
- 1/4 tsp saffron threads 0.17 grams
- 1 cleaned tube of squid (cut into 1/4 inch thick rings)
- 1 medium yellow onion (finely chopped)
- 1 tsp sweet smoked Spanish paprika 2.50 grams
- 2 tomatoes (finely chopped)
- 2 cups fish broth 480 ml
- 4 cod fillets 7 oz / 200 grams each
- 1/2 lbs raw jumbo shrimp (peeled and deveined) 225 grams
- sea salt & black pepper
- chopped parsley for garnish
Instructions
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Heat a paella pan with a medium heat and add in the olive oil (you can also use a large fry pan or even a stockpot if you prefer)
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After a couple of minutes, add in the slice of baguette, cloves of garlic, and almonds, fry for 3 to 4 minutes or until golden fried all around, then remove from the pan and set aside
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Using the same pan with the same heat, add in the squid rings and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes or until lightly sautéed, then remove from the pan and set aside
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Once again, using the same pan with the same heat, add in the chopped onion and mix continuously, after 3 to 4 minutes, add in the paprika and quickly mix together, then add in the chopped tomatoes and season with salt & pepper, mix together, then mix every 1 to 2 minutes so the tomatoes evenly sauté
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In the meantime, add the fried cloves of garlic and almonds into a mortar, along with the chopped parsley, saffron, and a pinch of salt, using a pestle, pound down on the ingredients until well mashed, then add the fried slice of baguette and continue to pound down until you get a paste-like texture
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After sautéing the tomatoes for 5 to 10 minutes and they're lightly sautéed, add in the fish broth, give it a mix, and simmer
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In the meantime, add the cod fillets over some paper towels and pat dry, then season with salt & pepper, and cut each fillet in half for a total of 8 pieces of fish, also add the shrimp over some paper towels and pat dry, and season with salt & pepper
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After simmering the broth for 10 minutes, grab some of the broth and add it into the mortar with the almond mixture, mix together, then add the mixture into the pan and mix together until well mixed, then add in the pieces of cod, all in a single layer, and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, then gently flip each one, add the squid rings and shrimp into the pan, all evenly spaced out, and gently push down on the squid rings and shrimp so they're fully coated in the broth, and simmer for another 2 to 3 minutes or until all the seafood is just cooked through
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Serve directly out of the pan, garnished with chopped parsley, enjoy!
Recipe Notes
Get the Spanish Olive Oil and Golden Saffron I used to make this Recipe
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Borderdog
15 . Apr . 2026The paste of garlic, almonds and bread is just fantastic. I often look at recipes for ideas and this is brilliant. Thank you, hermano! I’ve made dozens of your recipes and look hungrily for more.
Spain on a Fork
So happy to hear that! Thanks for the comment, Much love
16 . Apr . 2026