Arroz negro

• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 red chilli (chile), deseeded and finely chopped
• Handful of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• 1 x 400-g (14½-oz) can plum tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 400 g/14 oz MSC certified octopus, cleaned and cut into pieces
• 500 g/1 lb 2 oz/2 cups paella rice
• 200 ml/7 fl oz/scant 1 cup white wine
• 1.2 litres/2 pints/5 cups fish stock 
• 50 g/2 oz squid ink
• 3 MSC certified langoustines
• 4 tbsp aioli 
• Olive oil for frying
• Salt and pepper

Fish stock

(enough for about 5 litres / 8¾ pints /10½ US pints)

• 4 kg/9 lb fish bones and heads from MSC certified white fish (e.g. sole, halibut, plaice, turbot, cod, haddock, sea bass)
• 25 g/1 oz/2 tbsp butter
• 3 onions, roughly chopped
• 2 leeks, trimmed, green parts removed, and roughly chopped
• 2 celery sticks, roughly chopped
• 2 carrots, roughly chopped
• Handful of flat-leaf parsley
• 100 ml/3½ fl oz/¹/³ cup white wine
• About 5 litres/8¾ pints/10½ US pints water
• 2 bay leaves
• 10 black peppercorns

Aioli

• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 egg
• 100 ml/3½ fl oz/⅓ cup sunflower oil
• 100 ml/3½ fl oz/generous ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tsp lemon juice

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a deep frying pan (skillet) or paella pan over a low heat and fry the onion, garlic and chilli (chile) until the onions are soft and translucent. Add the parsley and tomatoes and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the octopus and cook for 2 minutes.
2. Add the rice and stir well until all the grains have become translucent. Deglaze with the white wine and cook until the liquid has been absorbed. Add the fish stock and squid ink and stir until the rice is uniformly black. Put the pan on a heat diffuser and cook the rice for 20–25 minutes over a low heat.
3. Cook the langoustines in a pan of boiling, salted water for 3–4 minutes. Drain from the pan and keep warm. Check to see if the rice is cooked. If it is not quite tender, but all the liquid has been absorbed, cover the pan with foil and finish cooking it briefly in a hot oven.
4. Serve the rice topped with the langoustines and aioli on the side.

Fish stock

1. Fish stock makes a good base for soups or sauces and can also be used for poaching and steaming fish.
2. Rinse the fish bones and heads thoroughly under cold, running water to wash away any blood still sticking to them. Roughly chop the bones and heads.
3. Add the butter to a large saucepan over a medium-high heat and when the butter has melted, add the onions, leeks, celery, carrots and parsley and cook, for 3–4 minutes until the vegetables have started to become translucent and have softened slightly. 
4. Add the fish bones and heads and fry for 2 minutes then pour in the wine and sufficient water to just cover the fish. Add the bay leaves and black peppercorns, turn up the heat. Bring the liquid to simmering point, around 90°C/195°F.
5. Use a skimmer or slotted spoon to remove any scum that forms on the surface. After 25 minutes, strain the liquid through a fine sieve or, even better, through a piece of muslin. The stock is now ready to use.

Aioli

1. To make the aioli, crush the garlic in a pestle and mortar. Whisk the egg into the crushed garlic (if the mortar is too small for the egg and oils to be added, first transfer the garlic to a bowl).
2. Add the sunflower and olive oils drop by drop, whisking constantly. When both oils have been emulsified into the egg and garlic, season the mixture with the lemon juice, salt and pepper. Chill the aioli in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

This recipe is courtesy of Bart’s Fish Tales by Bart van Olphen, published by Pavilion Books. Image credit to David Loftus.