Fideuà With Morcilla, Ibérico Secreto & Caramelized Onions
Fideua with morcilla is a rich and hearty dish that makes a perfect alternative to a Seafood Fideua or Paella.
This meat-based Fideua with morcilla recipe brings a warming winter vibe to the traditional seafood Fideua or Fideua negra with seafood (with squid ink). With the delicious combination of flavors of the best cuts of pork from Ibérico Secreto, the rich flavor and aroma of fried Morcilla, and oozing with sweetness from the caramelized onions, this dish is a sure-fire dinner party pleaser!
About This Recipe
With all honesty, this dish is a culmination of a few different traditional Spanish recipes, made while experimenting with three of my favorite ingredients, fideo noodles, Ibérico Secreto, and the mouth-watering Morcilla.
With those three ingredients, this recipe crosses various regions of Spain and combines these ingredients using the cooking methods somewhere between Arroz a Banda and a Fideua. It’s easy to make, perfect for experimenting with new flavors, and best of all, takes under an hour to make!
The History of Fideua – The dish born by Gluttony and kindness
This dish has origins in a small Mediterranean town called Gandia, which is about an hour’s drive south of Valencia.
This sleepy seaside town once had a strong fishing community and, as the story goes, was created by Gabriel Rodriguez Pastor, who worked as a cook onboard one of the many fishing vessels.
The captain of the ship where Gabriel worked was a gluttonous man prone to the rice dishes such as arròs a banda. This led to the captain unfairly taking more than his ration during supper time, creating a tyrannous state for the sailors who served below him, who often never received a full portion of arròs a banda.
Ingeniously, Gabriel and his assistant experimented with adding noodles to the dish instead of rice in an attempt to curb the captain’s overzealous appetite. However, the dish was deemed a success, and lives on this day, much to the demise of many unhappy and hungry sailors.
Morcilla
Made all over Spain and often enjoyed as a tapa, morcilla is a rich flavored sausage that is made using ground pork, seasonings and spices, chopped onions, and filler (typically rice), all mixed with pig’s blood. The mixture is then made into sausages and flash boiled, then left to hang and cure.
The diversity of the Spanish regions has brought with it many variations of morcilla, made all over the country. Valencia, with its rich history steeped in rice production, also makes some of the best morcilla I’ve tasted, and it’s got a subtle spicy kick to boot!
Ibérico Secreto
Ibérico Secreto is by far one of the best-tasting cuts of pork you can buy and is well-known in Spain for its unique flavor. The ibérico Secreto cut is located between the shoulder and the bacon part.
While the Iberico pig is farmed exclusively in Spain in the Andalusian region, the ibérico pork is shipped the world over and has become increasingly easy to find, with even quite a few local grocery stores that will have this cut of pork available.
If you can’t find ibérico pork, have a chat with your butcher and they should be able to make the cut from non-Iberican pork with no issues. Trust me, though, you should definitely hunt down ibérico pork to take this dish to the next level! Learn more about the different types of Spanish hams.
Ibérico Pork Cooking Tips
When pan-fried, this cut of pork really comes alive, the marbling of the pork releases lots of fat when cooked quickly on high heat, allowing the center part of the cut of pork to retain a lot of moisture and juices.
Whatever you do, do not overcook it, as it’s very easy to overtime the cooking process leading to it drying out too much. A perfect steak of ibérico pork should be moist and very juicy!
Serving:
6 people
Ready In:
Prepare 30 minutes / cook 30-40 minutes
Skill Level
Easy/Medium
Serve with:
A slice of fresh bread
Ingredients
Method (step-by-step)
- 300 grams / 0.6 lb of morcilla (around 3 sausages, sliced around ½ inch)
- 600 grams of ibérico Secreto – Cut into ½-inch cubes or slices)
- (Optional) 350 grams of rabbit or Chicken Thigh (de-boned and cut into small ½-inch pieces)
- 400 grams / 0.9 lb of fideo pasta (Grade No.1)
- 3 tomatoes (grated)
- 2-3 cloves of garlic (crushed/grated)
- 2 onions, finely sliced.
- 1 teaspoon of thyme
- ½ teaspoon of sweet paprika
- ½ cup of olive oil
- 1 tablespoon of brown sugar
- 700ml / 23 oz Chicken stock
Some sherry to taste (any sherry from the Jerez region of Andalusia is ideal!)
Method (step-by-step)
Step 1 – Crisp up the noodles
- First, heat the paella pan with medium heat. Empty the packet of Fideo noodles in the dry pan and let them crisp up a little bit. Allow about 3 minutes stirring them all of the time. Once crisped up, remove them from the heat and set them aside.
Step 2 Prepare the meat
- On high heat, add 6-8 tablespoons of olive oil to the pan. Once the oil is sizzling, add the slices of ibérico Secreto and a pinch of salt. Roll the slices around until they are an even golden color. This should take around 1-2 minutes on each side. Be careful not to overcook the meat. Once cooked, set this aside.
- Reduce the heat to medium, add a splash more oil, and then add the slices of morcilla. Cook them for around 2-3 minutes on each side. Don’t worry if some fat or filling falls out, this will add to the flavor. Once cooked, add to the plate of ibérico Secreto. We will add this to the fideua later.
- Optionally, if you’re adding chicken or game meat, cook them last as the rich flavors of the pork and morcilla will help soak into the game meat.
Step 3 – Caramelize the onions
- On medium heat, add a tablespoon of oil to the pan and then add the onions. Slowly cook the onions for around 5 minutes, stirring occasionally till they yellow.
- Once the onions are yellowish, sprinkle a tablespoon of brown sugar over the onions and add a splash of sherry. Cook for another 7-10 minutes or until the onion caramelizes.
Step 4 – Prepare the Fideua
- Move the onions to the side of the pan and add a splash of more oil to the middle of the pan.
- On medium heat, add some garlic, and fry lightly. Then after 1-2 minutes, add the crushed tomatoes and spices and mix well.
- Cook for around 5-7 minutes or until the tomato mixture has begun to thicken.
- Add another splash of oil and then add the fideo noodles and stir through with the onions, tomato, and spice mixture.
- Add the stock little by little, and stir through thoroughly with the noodles and mixture. Allow the fideo noodles to cook for 3-5 minutes.
- Add the pre-prepared ibérico Secreto, morcilla (and game or chicken if you like), and a splash of sherry, and mix through the mixture. Be sure to leave a few generous chunks of meat sitting on the top.
- Cook on medium-low heat for another 5 minutes or until the noodles are soft and the liquid is absorbed.
- Once no more bubbles appear, remove it from the heat and cover the pan with a clean damp towel for 5 minutes. This will allow the top crust of pasta to steam and curl.
- Once you are ready to serve, add a few springs of fresh thyme to the top. This dish pairs well with a dry red wine, or any type of Rioja is ideal!
Fideuà With Morcilla, Ibérico Secreto & Caramelized Onions
Equipment
- A large 40cm paella pan (or another pan that’s at least 4-inches deep)
- 12-inch skillet splatter screen (optional, but very handy)
Ingredients
- 300 grams / 0.6 lb of Morcilla around 3 sausages, sliced around ½ inch
- 600 grams of ibérico Secreto - Cut into ½ inch cubes or slices)
- 350 grams of Rabbit or Chicken thigh (de-boned and cut into small ½ inch pieces) (Optional)
- 400 grams (0.9 lb) of fideo pasta Grade No.1
- 3 tomatoes grated
- 2-3 cloves of garlic crushed/grated
- 2 onions finely sliced
- 1 teaspoon of thyme
- ½ teaspoon of sweet paprika
- ½ cup of olive oil
- 1 tablespoon of brown sugar
- 700 ml (23 oz) of Chicken stock
- Some sherry to taste Any sherry from the Jerez region of Andalusia is ideal!
Instructions
Crisp up the noodles
- First, heat the paella pan with medium heat. Empty the packet of Fideo noodles in the dry pan and let them crisp up a little bit. Allow about 3 minutes stirring them all of the time. Once crisped up, remove them from the heat and set them aside.
Prepare the meat
- On high heat, add 6-8 tablespoons of olive oil to the pan. Once the oil is sizzling, add the slices of ibérico Secreto and a pinch of salt. Roll the slices around until they are an even golden color, this should take around 1-2 minutes on each side. Be careful not to overcook the meat. Once cooked, set this aside.
- Reduce the heat to medium, add a splash more oil, and then add the slices of morcilla. Cook them for around 2-3 minutes on each side. Don’t worry if some fat or filling falls out, this will add to the flavor. Once cooked, add to the plate of ibérico Secreto, we will add this to the fideua later.
- Optionally, if you’re adding chicken or game meat, cook them last as the rich flavors of the pork and morcilla will help soak into the game meat.
Caramelize the onions
- On medium heat, add a tablespoon of oil to the pan and then add the onions. Slowly cook the onions for around 5 minutes, stirring occasionally till they yellow.
- Once the onions are yellowed, sprinkle a tablespoon of brown sugar over the onions and add a splash of sherry. Cook for another 7-10 minutes or until the onion starts to caramelize.
Prepare the Fideua
- Move the onions to the side of the pan and add a splash more oil to the middle of the pan.
- On medium heat, add some garlic, and fry lightly. Then after 1-2 minutes, add the crushed tomatoes and spices and mix well.
- Cook for around 5-7 minutes or until the tomato mixture has begun to thicken.
- Add another splash of oil and then add the fideo noodles and stir through with the onions, tomato, and spices mixture.
- Add the stock little by little, and stir through thoroughly with the noodles and mixture. Allow the fideo noodles to cook for 3-5 minutes.
- Add the pre-prepared ibérico Secreto, morcilla (and game or chicken if you like), and a splash of sherry, and mix through the mixture. Be sure to leave a few generous chunks of meat sitting on the top.
- Cook on medium-low heat for another 5 minutes or until the noodles are soft and the liquid is absorbed.
- Once no more bubbles appear, remove it from the heat and cover the pan with a clean damp towel for 5 minutes. This will allow the top crust of pasta to steam and curl.
- Once you are ready to serve, add a few springs of fresh thyme to the top. This dish pairs well with a dry red wine, or any type of Rioja is ideal!
Notes
Nutrition and Diet
Due to the high fat and protein ingredients in this dish, this isn't something that should be consumed every day, but it sure makes a nice treat when you're craving a filling and hearty meal. To reduce fat and protein, use leaner meats such as turkey or rabbit, or even reduce the quantity of meat ingredients and mix with some fresh vegetables such as beans or carrots.More Delicious Fideua & Paella Recipes
Fideua dishes and paella and other rice recipes are found served all up and down the Mediterranean coast of Spain. And we’re so grateful! Here are some more recipes for you to try:
- Seafood fideua in squid ink – perfect for anyone who loves seafood as this is a flavorful dish that combines thin pasta/noodles with seafood, herbs, and spices.
- Classic seafood fideua – this one-pot recipe is absolutely delicious and the easiest to cook on this list.
- Oven-baked rice (arroz al horno) – this is the traditional meaty rice version, but we’ve also made a vegan arroz al horno.
- Seafood paella – a very popular rice dish and with good reason, it’s tasty and iconic.
- Chicken and rice (arroz con pollo) – a classic recipe that can be cooked in one pan and features chicken and Spanish chorizo.