Fideo Del Mar Recipe

Toast and cook fideo

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add 2 tbs olive oil and 1 tbs butter. Add the broken fideo and cook, stirring constantly, until lightly golden, about 4–6 minutes. Carefully add 1.5 cups chicken or seafood stock, 1 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp black pepper. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until the pasta absorbs the liquid and is tender, about 6–8 minutes. Fluff with a fork and keep warm.

Season seafood

Pat the shrimp and scallops dry with paper towels. Toss shrimp and scallops with 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp black pepper. Keep the snow crab claws refrigerated until ready to heat.

Sear scallops and shrimp

Heat a separate large skillet over high heat until very hot. Add 1 tbs olive oil. Sear scallops in a single layer (do not crowd) 1–1.5 minutes per side until a golden crust forms and they are opaque; remove to a plate. Sear shrimp 1–2 minutes per side until pink and just cooked through; remove and keep warm. Briefly warm pre-cooked snow crab claws in the same skillet for 1–2 minutes just to heat through; set aside.

Prepare base (tomato ranchero)

In a medium saucepan over medium heat add 1 tbs vegetable oil. Sauté 1/2 cup diced white onion until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add 2 cloves minced garlic and sauté 30 seconds. Add 2 roma tomatoes (diced) and cook until they break down, 4–5 minutes. Add 1 cup prepared ranchero sauce and simmer 3 minutes. For a smoother sauce, transfer to a blender and puree until smooth (careful with hot liquids).

Make pasilla option (if using)

If choosing pasilla cream, rehydrate 2 pasilla chiles by toasting briefly in a dry skillet, soaking in hot water for 15 minutes, removing stems/seeds, and pureeing with a splash of the soaking liquid. Add the pasilla puree to the tomato base in place of or blended with the ranchero sauce. Adjust salt to 3/4 tsp.

Finish the cream sauce

Return pureed sauce to the saucepan over low heat. Stir in 1 cup heavy cream and 1/4 cup crema or sour cream. Heat gently — do not boil — until warm and slightly thickened, about 3–5 minutes. Season with 3/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper and 1 tsp lime juice. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Combine pasta and sauce

Spoon most of the warm cream ranchero (or pasilla cream) sauce into the skillet with the cooked fideo or return the fideo to the sauce pan and gently fold to coat the pasta, adding a splash of stock or cream if needed to loosen.

Plate and add seafood

Divide sauced fideo between 4 plates (or 2 large portions). Arrange seared scallops and shrimp on top and tuck snow crab claws alongside. Spoon a little extra sauce over the seafood for gloss and flavor.

Garnish and serve

Sprinkle each portion with chopped cilantro and 2 tbs crumbled queso fresco (divide evenly). Add sliced radish if using and serve with lime wedges on the side for squeezing.