Arroz de Marisco

A rich, soupy rice dish swimming in a deep seafood broth. Tender shellfish and prawns offer a variety of textures, balanced by the sharp freshness of cilantro and high-quality olive oil.

• Prep time: 30 min
• Cook time: 30 min
• Difficulty: Medium
• Calories: 875
• Protein: 74 g
• Carbs: 81 g
• Fat: 24 g

Ingredients

• 300 g White rice ( dry )
• 500 g Shrimp ( whole )
• 500 g Mytilus edulis ( cleaned )
• 300 g Clam ( purged )
• 1 piece Crab optional ( cut into pieces )
• 1 piece Onion ( finely sliced )
• 3 piece Garlic ( minced )
• 2 piece Round tomato ( diced )
• 1 piece Red bell pepper ( finely diced )
• 150 ml Dry white wine
• 4 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
• 1 piece Fresh cilantro ( chopped )
• 1 piece Hot chili pepper ( finely chopped )
• 2 piece Bay leaf
• 1 tsp Sweet paprika
• 1 pinch Gray sea salt
• 1 pinch Black pepper ground
• 500 ml Fish stock ( ready to use )

Instructions

1. Seafood broth preparation

   Peel the shrimp, keeping the heads and shells. In a saucepan, brown them with a drizzle of oil until they color. Cover with water, crush the heads to release the juices, and simmer for 20 minutes before filtering.

2. Base sofrito

   In a large skillet, sauté the chopped onion and pepper in olive oil. When they are tender, add the minced garlic, bay leaf, and diced tomato. Let it simmer until the oil separates from the tomato flesh.

3. Rice glazing and deglazing

   Pour the white rice into the skillet. Stir well to coat each grain with fat. Deglaze with the dry white wine and let the alcohol evaporate over high heat.

4. 'Malandrinho' cooking

   Add the hot shrimp broth and the fish stock (the total volume of liquid should be about 3 times the volume of rice). Season with salt and pepper, and add the paprika and chili. Cook uncovered. The rice must remain submerged; do not hesitate to add a little water if necessary.

5. Adding the seafood

   When the rice is almost cooked but still firm, push the mussels, clams, crab pieces, and shrimp into the rice. Cover for 3 minutes: as soon as the shellfish open, it's ready. Turn off the heat, sprinkle with chopped cilantro, and serve immediately.

Chef's tips

• Never wash the rice for this recipe; the starch is essential to thicken the broth.
• Arroz de marisco waits for no one: the rice keeps absorbing the liquid, so serve it while it's still very soupy.
• If you have monkfish heads, add them to the stock for even more depth.

Storage

Keeps for 24h in the fridge, but the rice will absorb all the liquid. Add a splash of water when reheating.