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Cook a traditional Spanish dish

Chef Mateo talks you through Murcian and Spanish classics step by step — what to buy at the market, the timings, and the mistakes to avoid.

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¡Hola, cocinero! I'm Chef Mateo. Let's cook something traditional. Pick one and I'll take you through it step by step: 1. Caldero del Mar Menor — the local rice and fish dish 2. Paella de marisco with proper socarrat 3. Tortilla de patatas 4. Michirones, the Murcian bean stew Which one shall we start with?

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Traditional Spanish recipes

Written recipes for the classics of Murcia and the Spanish table. Open one to read it, then send it to Chef Mateo to be taken through it step by step, scaled to your table.

1 hr 15 min Serves 4MediumMar Menor, Murcia

The dish of the Mar Menor: fishermen's rice cooked in a cauldron with rock fish, ñora peppers and plenty of garlic. The fish is served after the rice, with allioli.

Ingredients

  • 1 kg mixed rock fish (dorada, mújol, gallina), cleaned and cut into steaks
  • 400 g bomba or Calasparra rice
  • 3 dried ñora peppers, deseeded
  • 4 ripe tomatoes, grated
  • 8 garlic cloves
  • 1.5 litres fish stock (from the fish heads and bones)
  • 100 ml olive oil
  • Pinch of saffron, salt
  • Allioli, to serve

Method

  1. 1Fry the ñoras in the oil for 30 seconds until they puff — do not let them burn — then lift out and blend with 4 garlic cloves and a little stock into a paste.
  2. 2In the same oil, fry the remaining garlic, add the grated tomato and cook down for 10 minutes until dark and jammy.
  3. 3Stir in the ñora paste and saffron, then pour in the stock and simmer 15 minutes.
  4. 4Add the fish steaks and poach gently for 8-10 minutes. Lift them out and keep warm.
  5. 5Strain the broth, measure it, and bring 2.5 parts broth to 1 part rice back to the boil.
  6. 6Add the rice, boil hard for 8 minutes, then lower to a simmer for 8-10 minutes until the liquid is gone. Rest 5 minutes off the heat.
  7. 7Serve the rice first, then the fish with allioli on the side.

Chef's tip: Never stir the rice once it goes in — that's what keeps the grains separate rather than creamy.