Saucy tomato rice simmered with shrimp, clams and mussels, a soupy Portuguese seafood rice from the Algarve coast.
Arroz de marisco is a defining dish of Portugal's Algarve and coastal regions, a wet, soupy rice built on a base of tomato and garlic, simmered with an assortment of fresh shellfish until the rice absorbs all that briny flavor. Unlike a dry paella, this rice stays deliberately loose and saucy, closer to a thick stew than a composed rice dish, meant to be eaten with a spoon so none of the flavorful broth goes to waste. Fresh coriander stirred in at the end and a squeeze of lemon brighten the finished dish, and it's traditionally served bubbling hot straight from the pot it was cooked in, the seafood added in stages so nothing overcooks.
Serves 4
Heat olive oil in a wide pot and cook onion until soft, then add garlic, cooking 1 minute.
Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste and bay leaf, simmering 8-10 minutes until thickened.
Pour in fish stock, bring to a boil, then add rice and salt, stirring, and simmer 12 minutes.
Keep this rice loose and soupy — arroz de marisco is meant to be brothy, unlike a drier paella-style rice.
Add the clams and mussels, cover, and cook 5-6 minutes until they open, discarding any that don't.
Stir in the shrimp and cook 3-4 minutes until pink and just cooked through.
Stir in cilantro and adjust salt to taste.
Serve hot with lemon wedges, straight from the pot.
Keep the rice deliberately loose and soupy throughout — this dish should never dry out like a paella, so add extra stock if it thickens too much.
Add the shellfish in stages according to cooking time, with clams and mussels first, then quicker-cooking shrimp last.
Discard any clams or mussels that don't open after cooking, since this usually means they weren't alive before cooking.
Some versions add squid or crab for even more variety of seafood.
A spicier version adds a pinch of piri piri or cayenne to the tomato base.
Using just shrimp, without clams or mussels, is a simpler, more accessible version.
Best eaten fresh; refrigerate leftovers up to 1 day and reheat gently, being careful not to overcook the seafood further.
Arroz de marisco is a specialty of Portugal's coastal regions, particularly associated with the Algarve and Estremadura, reflecting the country's deep culinary connection to the Atlantic and its abundant seafood.
Yes, just make sure it's fully thawed before adding it, and pat it dry to avoid diluting the rice with excess water.
Discard any that remain closed after cooking, since this typically indicates they weren't alive before cooking and shouldn't be eaten.
Add more hot stock or water to loosen it back to a properly soupy consistency, since this dish should stay brothy rather than drying out.
Per serving (450g / 15.9 oz) · 4 servings total
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