Arroz de Marisco

About This Recipe

Arroz de Marisco is Portugal's beloved seafood rice, somewhere between a risotto and a stew. Loaded with the freshest catch — prawns, clams, mussels, and sometimes crab — it is cooked in a deeply flavored tomato-shellfish broth. Fresh coriander stirred in at the end gives it its distinctive Portuguese character. Every seaside town claims the best version.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 300 gshort-grain rice
• 250 gprawns(shell-on)
• 300 gclams(scrubbed)
• 300 gmussels(scrubbed and debearded)
• 1 largeonion(diced)
• 3 clovesgarlic(minced)
• 400 gcrushed tomatoes
• 1 Lfish stock
• 100 mlwhite wine
• 3 tbspolive oil
• 1 bunchfresh coriander(chopped)
• 1 tspsweet paprika

Instructions

1. 1

   Saute aromatics

   Heat olive oil and cook onion and garlic until softened. Add paprika and stir for 30 seconds.

2. 2

   Add tomato and stock

   Stir in crushed tomatoes, white wine, and fish stock. Bring to a boil.

3. 3

   Cook rice

   Add rice and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. 4

   Add seafood

   Add clams and mussels first. After 3 minutes, add prawns. Cook until all shells open and prawns are pink, about 5 more minutes.

5. 5

   Finish and serve

   Stir in fresh coriander. The consistency should be soupy, not dry. Serve in deep bowls.

Variations

• •

  Add crab legs or lobster for a special occasion version.

Storage

Best eaten fresh. Leftovers can be refrigerated for 1 day; reheat gently with extra stock.