Supreme cataplana

Just like paella, cataplana actually refers to the pot this dish is cooked in! If you don't have ready access to one, substitute by using a wide pot or sauté pan.

• serves

  20

• prep

  1 hour

• cook

  1 hour

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

• ½ cup olive oil
• 2 large onions, sliced
• 5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 500 g pork belly, skin and bone removed, thinly sliced
• 100 g pancetta, cut into 1cm cubes
• 300 g linguica sausage (or chorizo), split in half lengthways and halved on an angle
• 2 capsicums, roasted, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 tsp sweet paprika
• 1 tsp chilli flakes
• 1 pinch saffron
• 1 large raw lobster (about 1.2kg), dispatched and split in half lengthways
• 1 kg raw prawns, shells removed and reserved for Bisque stock
• 1 kg mussels
• 1 kg clams
• 1 squid, cleaned
• 500 g firm white fish fillets (e.g. cod, mulloway)
• ½ cup finely shredded parsley

Bisque stock

• shells from 1kg prawns
• 1 onion
• 1 carrot
• 3 L chicken stock
• 600 g tomato puree
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 bay leaves

Instructions

For the bisque stock place all the ingredients into a saucepan and simmer for 25 minutes. Transfer everything to a blender (including the prawn shells) and blend for a few minutes to a smooth soup. You will need to use a strong blender, blend this in batches, and blend multiple times to fully break down the prawn shells. Pass the bisque stock through a fine sieve to remove any unblended pieces of shell. It should appear quite creamy.

Heat the cataplana over high heat and add the oil. Fry the onions and garlic for 5 minutes until lightly caramelised and add the pork belly, pancetta and sausage and fry for a further 5 minutes.

Add the capsicum, paprika, chilli and saffron and fry for 1 minute. Add the stock and bring to the boil then add the lobster, cover and cook for 8 minutes, then add the prawns, squid, fish, clams and mussels and cook for 5 minutes.

Scatter over fresh parsley and serve warm in the cataplana. 

Photography by Lucy Alcorn.

Destination Flavour Eurovision, hosted by Adam Liaw is available to watch on SBS On Demand here.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.