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Chef Marc Vidal brings seafood fideua to THE Dish

Vidal is executive chef at the restaurant Boqueria
Chef Marc Vidal brings his authentic Spanish cuisine to THE Dish 04:31

Barcelona native Marc Vidal learned how to cook from his abuela at a very young age.

After studying in Barcelona, his culinary talents took him to some of the best kitchens throughout Spain and Paris, and in 2006, Vidal decided to move to the U.S.

His Miami restaurant, Solea, was a semi-finalist for the James Beard Foundation's Best New Restaurant, and Vidal was named Restaurant Hospitality's Rising Star Chef. He is now the executive chef of Boqueria and is offering the recipes for some of his signature dishes.

Here's how to cook lobster fideua, pulpo a la gallega, espinacas a la catalane, patatas bravas, salsa brava, roasted garlic allioli, torrija café, plum compote and a blood orange sangria.

Fideua

Lobster Stock

Ingredients

  • 2 lobster heads, cut in half
  • 1/2 Spanish onion, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, skin on
  • 3 plum tomatoes, rough chopped
  • 1 leek, finely chopped
  • 1 carrots, finely chopped
  • 1 tsp sweet paprika
  • ½ cup white wine
  • ½ cup brandy
  • water to cover (about 2 qts)
  • 2 tbsp canola oil
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • 
Directions
  • Roast the lobster heads in a large pot with the canola oil over medium heat. Cook until the lobster is caramelized. Remove the lobster from the pot and set aside.
  • In the same pot, sweat the onions, carrots, garlic and leeks for 10 minutes over medium heat.
  • Add the sweet paprika and sweat without burning for 30 seconds, until fragrant.
  • Add the tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes.
  • Add the brandy and flambe
  • Add the white wine and cook until reduced by 1/2
  • Add water, bring to a boil and simmer for 1 hour.
  • Remove from the heat and let infuse for 2 hours.
  • Strain through a fine chinoise
  • Espinacas a la catalana - yield: 1 order

    Sauteed spinach, garbanzos, pine nuts, garlic, raisins

    Ingredients

  • 4 oz baby spinach
  • 1 clove garlic, sliced
  • 1 tbsp raisins
  • 1 tbsp pine nuts
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp garbanzo beans
  • 1 tbsp sherry vinegar
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • salt and pepper
  • Directions
  • In a large sauté pan heat the oil with the garlic, taking care not to color the garlic.
  • Add the garbanzos, raisins, pine nuts and spinach. Season cautiously with salt and pepper, carefully turning spinach with a spoon to wilt.
  • Cook about 1 minute until spinach is wilted but still bright green. Season with vinegar and lemon, taste and adjust as necessary.
  • Plate in a shallow bowl, careful not to include too much moisture
  • Pulpo a la gallega - yield 1 order

    Ingredients

  • Octopus (~ 3 - 3.5oz portion, depending on size of the tentacle)
  • Pimentón (50% hot smoked, 50% sweet smoked)
  • ½ pint of cooked bravas potatoes (see Patatas Bravas recipe for details)
  • Fennel, thinly sliced
  • Picual olive oil
  • Parsley, chopped
  • Procedure
  • Bring a pot with water to boil
  • Add 10 black peppercorns
  • Add 1 bay leaf
  • Take the octopus by the head and "scare" the octopus 3 times before submerging it in the water. Cook for about 45 minutes. (Always taste the thickest part of one tentacle to determine if it's cooked through)
  • When cooked through, remove from the water and let cool
  • Portion the octopus as noted above
  • Service
  • Sear the octopus on the plancha until crispy
  • Once finished dust with smoked pimentón
  • Place the pint of potatoes in the microwave and heat up
  • Put the hot potatoes in a bowl, drizzle with olive oil and salt. Smash the potatoes with a fork and taste to make sure they are well seasoned.
  • Slice the fennel with a mandolin and drizzle with lemon juice, olive oil, salt and parsley.
  • Plate the potatoes and fennel and place the octopus on top. Drizzle with Arbequina olive oil.
  • Sprinkle the octopus and plate with Maldon salt and a little more pimentón. Serve.

    Patatas bravas - Yield: 1 Order

    Crispy Potatoes, Salsa Brava, Roasted Garlic Allioli

    Ingredients

  • 1 cup bravas potatoes (see below details)
  • 2 tbsp roasted garlic allioli (see below)
  • 3 tbsp salsa brava (see below)
  • salt
  • 1 tsp of pimentón mix (50% hot sweet paprika & 50% sweet paprika)
  • Directions
  • Heat deep fryer to 375 F, fry bravas potatoes for 1 minute until crispy and hot.
  • Remove to a stainless steel mixing bowl, season generously with salt and sprinkle with approximately 1 tsp pimentón.
  • In a casuela, place the salsa brava on the bottom, add potatoes, drizzle with garlic allioli
  • For the Bravas Potatoes:

    Ingredients

  • Yukon gold extra large potatoes
  • Directions
  • Put the potatoes in a hotel pan with holes and steam in the oven at 220F for 45 minutes.
  • Remove, cool, peel and cut into 1" cubes.
  • Heat fryer to 300F and blanch in fryer for 2 minutes, until soft and slightly golden in color
  • Set aside to cool
  • Salsa Brava

    Yields 7.8 Qts

    Ingredients

    3 cups Yellow Onions

    1 Can Peeled Tomato

    30 Guindilla Peppers

    ½ cup Garlic

    4 cups Olive Oil

    4 tbsp Salt

    4 tbsp Black Pepper

    2 tbsp Sugar

    Directions

    1. In a large stock pot on Medium heat, add oil and sweat onions, garlic, and guindilla peppers for

    10 minutes.

    2. Add tomato, salt, pepper, sugar and sweat for 5 minutes.

    3. Simmer and cook for 1 hour

    4. After 1 hour remove from heat

    5. Blend all ingredients.

    6. Taste and re-season

    Roasted Garlic Allioli (5 qts)

    Ingredients

  • ½ cup garlic cloves
  • 8 eggs
  • 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
  • 2tsp dijon mustard
  • 1 gallon blended oil
  • Directions
  • Combine everything except oil in Vitaprep. Process and drizzle in oil.
  • Adjust seasoning.
  • Torrija café

    Ingredients

  • 1 pc Pullman bread, pre-soaked
  • (3" long, 1.375" wide, 1.25" thick) always cut bread frozen. From every pullman bread we get 10 portions.

    Torrija should be soaking for about 24 hours. (see below)

  • 1 tbsp plum compote (see below)
  • 1 scoop coffee ice cream scoop
  • 1 tbsp granulated sugar
  • 1 tbsp of caramel sauce
  • 1 tsp of ground coffee
  • confectionary sugar
  • Final presentation:
  • Fry the soaked pullman bread on the fryer until nice golden brown. set aside.
  • Place plum sauce in the middle of a plate
  • Sprinkle the top of the bread with the rest of granulated sugar and caramelize with the torch
  • Place bread partially on the plum sauce, finish with coffee ice cream on top
  • Drizzle with caramel sauce
  • Sprinkle confectionary sugar and ground coffee on top.
  • Serve immediately
  • Torrija Soaking Liquid

    Ingredients:

  • 15 eggs
  • 1.5 qt of milk
  • 1.5 quarts of heavy cream
  • Procedure:
  • combine milk, cream, and egg
  • Strain and set aside
  • Blood Orange Sangria

    For Blood Orange Mixture:

    • Slice a mixture of ½ blood oranges and ½ regular oranges in small, triangles (about 1/8" thick and ½" wide at base)

    • Fill quart containers with oranges and then cover with 1 part blood orange puree and 3 parts red sangria wine. Label and Date

    To serve the sangria:

    • Prepare glass/pitcher of white sangria as usual

    • Instead of regular fruit, add one large spoonful of blood orange mixture to glass or 6 to pitcher to create a layered effect.

    Plum compote

    Ingredients:

  • 4.5 kg prunes
  • 200 g lemon zest, blanched, finely chopped
  • 1500 g port wine
  • 1500 g grape juice reduced by half
  • 250 g sugar
  • Procedure:
  • place prunes in water for 3 to 4 hours
  • place all ingredients in a sauce pan and simmer for 20 minutes
  • remove from heat and allow to cool
  • place all ingredients in a robo coupe and blend until smooth
  • store in freezer in small containers
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