If there is one dish that truly captures the flavour of the Albufera, it is allipebre.
Rich, fiery and unapologetically Valencian, this traditional eel stew has fed generations of fishermen around Catarroja and El Palmar. In the area, you can still see huge pots of bubbling allipebre appearing on restaurant tables beside chunks of bread and glasses of red wine today.
Although many people associate the dish with El Palmar, Catarroja proudly claims to be the true birthplace of allipebre, even hosting the oldest allipebre cooking competition in the region.
Simple ingredients, big flavour
The name says it all: “all” means garlic and “pebre” refers to paprika or pepper.
Traditional allipebre relies on just a handful of ingredients: garlic, paprika, chilli, olive oil, eel and water. Some recipes also include potatoes, although purists argue that once potatoes are added, the dish technically becomes a “suc d’anguila” rather than a true allipebre.
Over time, cooks have added their own twists, including almonds, bread or even rabbit and duck in versions such as espardenyà.
But the heart of the dish remains the same: tender eel in a smoky, garlicky broth that begs to be eaten with plenty of bread.
Allipebre recipe for 4 people
Ingredients
- 1kg cleaned eel, chopped into pieces
- 1kg potatoes
- 1 whole head of garlic
- 2 bay leaves
- 40g ground almonds
- 2 or 3 dried red chillies or cayenne peppers
- 30ml olive oil
- 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
- Salt
- Water
How to make allipebre
Peel the potatoes and cut them into rough chunks of around 3 to 4cm. Breaking them slightly rather than slicing neatly helps release starch and thicken the broth. Leave them in water while preparing the rest.
In a large casserole dish, preferably earthenware, bring water to the boil with salt, the bay leaves and three unpeeled garlic cloves.
Drain the potatoes and add them to the pot.
Next, add the chopped eel and the dried chillies. Leave everything simmering gently.
Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a frying pan. Add three crushed garlic cloves and the ground almonds, stirring constantly so they do not burn.
Once golden, remove the pan from the heat and stir in the sweet paprika for a few seconds.
Carefully pour this mixture into the casserole. It is best to briefly remove the main pot from the heat first to avoid oil splashing.
Return the casserole to a medium heat and simmer for around 10 to 15 minutes until the potatoes are tender and the eel is cooked through without falling apart.
Taste the broth and adjust the salt if needed.
Bridging the Gap’s top tip
Allipebre is one of those dishes that demands good bread on the table, because leaving that rich paprika broth behind would be close to criminal.
