Prawn and Shellfish Rice – Arroz de Marisco
Features: Prawns, Shrimp, Mussels, Clams, Monkfish
Cooking Technique: Pot and pan
Serves: 4
Difficulty: Difficult
Total Time: 45 minutes
INGREDIENTS
- 5 tbsp olive oil
- 2 banana shallots, diced
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 small fennel bulb, trimmed and finely chopped
- A bunch of coriander, leaves and stalks finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
- ½ long red chilli, finely chopped
- 4 ripe plum tomatoes, coarsely grated
- 200g short-grain white rice, preferably Portuguese carolino, Japanese sushi or Spanish bomba rice, rinsed according to the packet instructions
- 600ml fish stock or water
- 40ml white wine
- 20 mussels (or monkfish), cleaned
- 20 clams, cleaned
- 16 large king or tiger jumbo prawns (or shrimp), shelled and deveined
- A squeeze of lemon juice
- Extra virgin olive oil, to serve
- Piri piri oil, to serve
- Smoked paprika, to taste
- Sea salt flakes and ground white pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
- Heat the olive oil in a pan over a medium heat. Add the shallots, onion and fennel and cook gently for 10 minutes, or until soft. Season with salt, pepper and paprika. Add the coriander stalks, garlic, lemon zest and chilli and cook for a few minutes, or until fragrant. Stir in the tomatoes. Increase the heat to caramelise the tomatoes a little, for extra flavour. Add the rice and cook for a few minutes to toast it. Add the fish stock or water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer gently until almost cooked, about 15–20 minutes.
- A few minutes before the rice is ready, add the white wine and tip in the mussels and clams. Cover with a lid and shake a few times. Cook for 3–4 minutes, then remove the pan from the heat. Discard any unopened shells.
- Taste the rice for seasoning, keeping in mind that the mussels and clams will add extra salt. Add the prawns to the rice and cook for a few minutes until they turn pink. Stir in a squeeze of lemon juice, a little extra virgin olive oil and the coriander leaves. Serve in shallow bowls, and don’t forget the piri piri oil!
