The Valencian seafood dish that replaces rice with short pasta in a stew is fideuà.
Fideuà comes from the Valencian coast and is especially associated with Gandia. It resembles paella in its communal preparation and use of a broad, shallow pan, but its main starch is pasta rather than rice. Traditional versions use short, thin noodles, seafood stock, fish, cuttlefish or squid, and shellfish such as prawns.
The dish’s name derives from the Valencian fideuada, meaning a large quantity of noodles. One popular origin story places its invention among fishermen, who supposedly substituted noodles for rice when the boat’s captain was more enthusiastic about pasta. Whether every detail of that story is historical is uncertain, but it reflects the dish’s strong maritime identity.
Fideuà is closely related to arròs a banda, a Valencian rice dish cooked in fish stock, and is often served with allioli. That garlic emulsion is a frequent accompaniment, but it does not define the dish. Paella is the commonest confusion: paella is rice-based, while fideuà is noodle-based.