Vovo's Portuguese Fish Soup

I'm sitting in my grandmother's kitchen in Sintra, Portugal. On Saturday we went to a tiny village on the coast called Azanhas do Mar - which translates poetically to "Windmills by the sea". There are no more windmills and most of the houses are in need of a good paint or are literally disintegrating. Vovo has her eye on a ruin right on the cliff that she'd like to lovingly restore... but jokes about being the first to end up in the sea in the next Lisbon earthquake. Frankly, the restaurant on the edge of the water is so amazing that it might almost quell any neurotic thoughts about an apocalyptic-style end. 

At the restaurant, where the waves crash against the salt-encrusted walls and window panes, we spent the afternoon safe and warm next to a blazing fire. The seafood soup was so delicious and coupled with Portuguese wine is close to perfection, really. It arrived with the usual pre-lunch array of olives, a fantastic soft sheep's cheese (from the Serra Estrela region - it's incredible. You cut of the top with a knife and then scoop out the gooey centre) and a basket of bread (which I had to stoically ignore). Vovo said that everybody makes it slightly differently but I have no doubt that her's is excellent. On my dad's side of the family (the slightly more exotic lot with Portuguese passports) everybody knows that Vovo is the best cook by far. 

I wrote down the recipe as we made it because I had a feeling she'd just wave her hands later as we were eating it and tell me she doesn't use a recipe. I was right. Still, as she says, everybody makes it slightly differently so this is really more of a rough guide for anyone to adapt should they get the urge. Leave comments if you find interesting ways to improve the recipe.

Bom ano!

Sofia

Recipe
1 medium pot (preferably with a thick base)

2 large tomatoes (chopped)
1 large onion (chopped)
3 large cloves of garlic (chopped finely)
squeeze of lemon juice
one segment of lemon rind
1 tsp paprika (or saffron)
1/2 tsp dried peri peri powder (for a more Mozambican taste)
a pinch of black pepper and a pinch of salt to season

Cook all the above ingredients on a low heat in the pot so the onion's become soft and translucent. Stir periodically.

Next, put a combination of frozen (or fresh if you can get it!) baby calamari, prawns, baby clams (cockles) with shells and without, and cod. 

Add water and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down and let it simmer until all the seafood is cooked through. Keep tasting!