tasting notes// spring

lots of wild garlic, pea tendrils, birthday cake ideal, and rhubarb martini's

May 14, 2026

∙ Paid

Zarzuela de Mariscos

A beautiful Spanish seafood stew I made my mother.
We could only find hake, monkfish, scallops and prawns so that is what we used. I love the addition of the picada in the stew which gives it a nice soft crunch. Served with crusty bread, a fennel salad, and my brother made salt cod fritters with a red pepper sauce :)

Made for my most beloved mother on Mother’s Day, wearing her apron I brought her back from Japan. Which I think is meant to be worn as a dress but she wears it for cooking and I love to wear her clothes and feel all bundled up in her. thinking also of my Nana Manuela and Nonna Maria and all the other mothers I have known in my life

RECIPE

Selection of fish and seafood — I used hake, scallops, prawns and monkfish
Plain flour
Shallots
Leek/fennel
Tin of tomatoes
Fish stock
Saffron
Paprika
Pimentón
Salt and pepper
Bay leaf
Olive oil
White wine
Picada
Almonds
Garlic
Parsley

Flour and salt the hake, then fry in oil until just browned. Remove, then briefly fry the monkfish in the same pan until it browns, and remove.
Brown the almonds in the same oil, then add to a blender with crushed garlic and parsley to make the picada.
In the same oil, brown the prawns and remove.
Then sauté the diced shallots until translucent. Add the diced fennel, then the leek.
Once soft, add the tomato and cook for a few minutes, then add a cup of wine.
Add the fish stock.
Add the paprika, pimentón and bay leaf. Soak the saffron in warm water and add that too. Cook down for ten minutes.
Add the picada and cook for five minutes.
Add the scallops and wait until almost cooked through, then add the hake, monkfish and prawns on top. Cook for five more minutes.
Serve with aioli, if you wish, and nice warm bread.

Confit Tomato and Fennel Spaghetti

The moment there are tomatoes, you have to make this, please. So simple and nice and cheap to make. You just sauté onions and garlic in olive oil, then add thinly sliced fennel bulb. Add fennel seeds and chilli flakes. Once that’s all cooked, add good cherry tomatoes and enough olive oil to cover them, then confit them in the oil on a low heat. Once the tomatoes are softened and bursting, blend half of it up — this is really the key to the dish. Add the blended sauce back in, along with some white wine, and season. It should be sweet and super flavourful from the tomatoes. Serve on spaghetti with Parmesan on top. Trust me, it’s so good. Please believe me. Why would I ever lie to you, I love you.