Mar i Muntanya Recipe (Catalan Chicken and Shrimp)

5 from 1 vote

This Catalan mar i muntanya recipe is a delicious dish of braised chicken and shrimp with an almond sauce.

Prep Time20

Cook Time2

Total Time2 20

Course: Main

Cuisine: Spanish

Servings: servings

Calories: 934.4kcal

Cut the chicken into eight serving pieces (or get your butcher to do this). To make the chicken stock from scratch, use only the carcass and the wings for the broth. Reserve the lean meat for the main dish.
Place the carcass and wings in a large pot, then cover with the cold water and add the vegetables. Bring to a boil, and then lower to a simmer for about an hour and a half.
Once the stock is cooked, strain it and add salt to taste.

Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a skillet, then lightly fry the almonds and whole garlic cloves with the skins on. Once they're golden brown, reserve them in a small bowl and keep the oil in the pan for later.
Add the almonds, garlic, and pinch of salt to a food processor and pulse a few times until a paste starts to form. Add the toasted bread one-quarter of a slice at a time. You could also use a mortar and pestle, but it's a lot of work!

Season the reserved raw chicken with salt and pepper and place in the skillet with the reserved oil, browning on each side but not cooking it through.
Add the diced onion to the oil and cook until browned, then add the brandy and reduce for a minute. Add the grated tomato pulp, discarding the juice, and simmer on low until the mixture is thickened but not dry, about 20 minutes.
Deglaze the tomato and onion mixture with some of the chicken stock.
Transfer the mixture into a large pot and add the browned chicken. Cover the chicken with the rest of the stock. (If there is still meat exposed, cover with extra water or fish bouillon.) Simmer uncovered on low heat for about 1 hour.
During the last 15 minutes of cooking, add the picada mixture (the almond, garlic, and bread paste).
After an hour of cooking, remove the chicken from the sauce and set aside on a large serving plate. If the sauce is too thin, turn up the heat for about 10 minutes so that some evaporates.
While the sauce is cooking down, add the shrimp and langoustines and cook for a couple of minutes, then remove them and reserve them with the chicken. Taste the sauce and add salt and pepper as desired.
Spoon the sauce over the chicken and shrimp on the serving plate. Serve alongside fried or boiled potatoes and enjoy!

Mar i muntanya isn't a quick recipe, but it isn't at all complicated. I highly recommend you make extra to have later.

Don't forget a side of freshly fried potatoes like patatas bravas to mop up the extra sauce!