Destination
Santiago
The story
Paila marina is Chile's seafood stew, named after the small clay bowl (paila) it's served in. Every kind of Pacific shellfish and fish the cook can lay hands on (mussels, clams, machas, prawns, squid, chunks of firm white fish) simmered briefly in a broth of onion, tomato, white wine, fish stock and enough coriander to turn the surface green. Steamy, briny, deeply savoury. Ordered at every fishing port along the Chilean coast and (with religious frequency) at Sunday lunch by anyone recovering from Saturday night.
Method
Warm the olive oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onion and pepper. Cook 6 to 8 minutes until soft. Add the garlic, paprika and merkén. Cook 1 minute more.
Add the tomatoes and cook 3 to 4 minutes until they break down. Pour in the wine and simmer 2 minutes to cook off the alcohol.
Pour in the fish stock, add the bay leaf, bring to a simmer. Taste and season with salt and pepper. This is the broth base; taste and adjust before the seafood goes in.
Add the mussels and clams. Cover with a lid and simmer 3 to 4 minutes until they open. Discard any that stay shut.
Add the fish chunks and prawns to the pot. Simmer another 3 minutes until the fish is opaque and the prawns are pink.
Add the squid rings. Cook exactly 1 minute more (any longer and squid turns rubbery), then take off the heat.
Squeeze in the lemon juice. Stir in most of the chopped coriander (save some for the plates). Taste one more time for salt.
Ladle into hot clay pailas, distributing shellfish, fish and broth evenly. Scatter with remaining coriander. Serve with crusty bread and lemon wedges. Eat immediately.
Tips
- Fish stock is worth making, or worth buying good. The broth is half the dish, and a weak stock gives a weak paila. Homemade from the fish trimmings is best; a good chilled fresh stock from a fishmonger is a fine second.
- Add the seafood in stages, not all at once. Shellfish take longer than fish, fish takes longer than squid. Adding everything at the same moment gives you overcooked squid and underdone mussels.
- Purge the clams. Live clams need 30 minutes in salted water with a splash of vinegar to spit out any grit. Skip this and you'll bite down on sand at some point in the meal.
- Merkén is the Chilean smoke note. If you have it, use it; if you don't, smoked paprika gives you 80% of the character.
- Serve in hot clay bowls if you have them. Cold plate + hot stew = the stew cools to room temperature in three minutes. Warm the pailas in the oven for 5 minutes before ladling.
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