Arroz de Marisco

Method

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1. Peel the prawns, keeping the heads and shells. Simmer them with the water, onion and bay for 25 minutes, then strain and keep 1.4 litres of stock hot.

   Mark done Start 25 min timer

2. Warm the olive oil in a wide heavy pot and cook the onions and pepper over medium-low heat for 15 minutes until very soft — this refogado is the base of everything.

   Mark done Start 15 min timer

3. Add the garlic for 1 minute, then the tomato purée and paprika and cook 2 minutes.

   Mark done Start 1 min timer

4. Add the wine and reduce by half, then the chopped tomatoes, piri-piri and salt. Simmer 10 minutes.

   Mark done

5. Stir in the rice and coat it in the sofrito for 2 minutes.

   Mark done Start 2 min timer

6. Pour in 1.2 litres of the hot stock and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 12 minutes.

   Mark done Start 12 min timer

7. Add the clams and mussels and cook 3 minutes with the lid on.

   Mark done

8. Add the crab, fish and prawns and cook 4 minutes more, adding the remaining stock if it looks tight. It should be soupy, not dry.

   Mark done

9. Discard any shellfish that stayed shut, stir in most of the coriander, and take it off the heat.

   Mark done

10. Serve straight from the pot with the rest of the coriander and lemon, immediately.

    Mark done

Chef’s Tips

• Make the prawn shell stock. Fifteen minutes of work, the whole flavour.
• It should look too wet when you take it off the heat. It thickens in the bowl.
• Coriander by the handful, not the sprig. This is a Portuguese dish, not a Spanish one.

Common Substitutions & Variations

• An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the usual stand-in when you are out of fresh garlic — it will not caramelise the same way, but it carries the flavour.
• A dry vermouth keeps for longer than an open bottle of white wine and is the closer swap than a random white left in the fridge; for an alcohol-free version, use the same amount of stock with a squeeze of lemon.

Pairing Suggestions

• A crisp vinho verde
• Crusty bread
• A green salad

Storage & Reheating

Best immediately. Leftovers keep 1 day refrigerated but the rice absorbs everything.

Common questions

Nutritional Highlights

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Treat these as an estimate — brands and cuts vary.