Arroz de Marisco (Portuguese Seafood Rice)
- Prep
- 10 min
- Total
- 55 min
- Servings
- 6
- Calories
- 460 kcal
Arroz de marisco is one of Portugal’s great seafood dishes: soupy carolino rice cooked in a seafood broth. In a country of sailors, it’s no surprise it was voted one of the 7 Wonders of Portuguese Gastronomy. It’s served bubbling, in a clay or aluminum pot, with bread alongside so no sauce is left on the plate.
Recipe
Arroz de Marisco
Soupy seafood rice with onion, celery and cilantro, plenty of seafood and a touch of paprika. A Portuguese classic for sharing.
Ingredients
Method
- 1Cook the onion and celery in the oil in a casserole over medium-high heat for 10 minutes or until soft.
- 2Add the small bunch of cilantro, the paprika and the mixed seafood.
- 3Add the tomato passata and the peppers, cut into small cubes, and pour in the white wine. Season with salt and pepper.
- 4Pour in water and, when it boils, add the rice. Cover and cook over low heat for about 12 minutes.
- 5At the end, adjust the seasoning and serve at once, sprinkled with chopped fresh cilantro.
The broth is the secret
A really good arroz de marisco isn’t made with tap water or stock cubes. What makes the difference is a broth made with the shells and heads of the shellfish, boiled, blended and strained. If you use shell-on frozen shrimp, keep the shells for it.
Soupy, not soaked
The rice should be malandrinho: brothy, but with loose, al dente grains, not drowned like a soup. Serve it at once, without resting, because the rice keeps soaking up the broth. For more body, crush 2 or 3 shrimp heads into the broth while it cooks.
