



One of the dishes that I enjoy having at local Spanish restaurants and on the trips I've made to Spain is Zarzuela de Marisco (zar-zoo-ella de ma-reese-co). Basically, a Spanish Seafood Stew. It's what I consider the perfect quintessential classic Spanish meal.

It' warm and hearty and simply delicious.

What I love about this recipe is that you use small amounts of seafood to make the whole, so it really isn't as expensive as it may seem at first. The sauce is what makes this dish so special, you simmer tomatoes, onions, peppers, saffron and lots of garlic, then add in ground almonds to thicken the sauce, seafood stock and sherry or wine. The seafood is cooked till just done to keep everything tender. My favorite part is dipping big pieces of bread into the sauce and scooping out a piece of shrimp and just chowing down. Really, if you have bread, you don't need utensils!