Arroz de Marisco

Before You Start

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.

Making Arroz de Marisco

Tap a step to highlight it, or turn on Cook Mode for large type and step-by-step focus.

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. While the stock simmers, 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

Related guide: Choosing rice.

Something wrong or unclear in this recipe? Report a problem with this recipe.

What's Going On Here

This rice is malandrinho — deliberately loose — so the ratio is closer to four parts liquid to one of rice, and it is served the moment it is done because it thickens fast in the pot. Making a quick stock from the prawn heads and shells is the step that separates a good version from a red rice with seafood in it.

After You've Cooked It

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

Common Substitutions & Variations

• An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the stand-in usually given when you are out of fresh garlic; it will not brown the same way, and it burns easily, so add it with the liquid.
• 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.

What to Serve Alongside

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

Sides from the same cuisine on this site: Broa de Milho, Migas Portuguesas.

Arroz de Marisco Nutrition Facts

No nutrition figures are given for this recipe: they cannot be worked out reliably from its ingredient list (some ingredient lines cannot be read). Why some recipes have none.

Your notes on this recipe

Cooked this? Keep a note for next time

Your own rating out of 5

5 stars★ 4 stars★ 3 stars★ 2 stars★ 1 star★

Your note

Save note

Private to you: notes and ratings are saved in this browser only, are never sent anywhere, and other readers cannot see them.