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Arroz a banda
Arròs a banda: Alicante fishermen's rice cooked in rich rockfish stock, with the fish served on the side
Along the Alicante coast, from Santa Pola to Dénia, arroz a banda began as a fishermen's meal: the small, bony fish that wouldn't sell were simmered into a deep, rust-coloured stock, rice was cooked in it, and the fish was eaten "a banda", on the side. Today the rice comes first, thin, golden and intensely savoury, with a spoonful of allioli, and the poached fish and potatoes follow. A common mistake is a weak stock; the rice tastes of nothing more than what it cooks in, so use plenty of fish and reduce it well. The allioli here uses pasteurised egg; raw-egg allioli is not for pregnant women, young children or anyone with a weakened immune system. Chef's tip: let the rice catch slightly on the base in the last minute to form socarrat, the toasty crust everyone fights over.
- Total time
- 115 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the stock and fish
For the rice
For the allioli
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What you'll need
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (10)
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Fry 2 dried ñora peppers in a dry pan for 30 seconds until fragrant, then soak in hot water for 10 minutes. Put 1 ¾ lb fish heads and bones or small whole rockfish, 1 onion, 1 ripe tomato, the drained ñora and 8 ¼ cups water in a large pot. Bring to the boil, skim off the grey foam, and simmer gently for 40 minutes.
45 minStep 2: Strain the stock through a fine sieve, pressing on the solids, and return it to a clean pan. You need about 1.5 litres; boil it down if you have more. Season it with 2 tsp salt until it tastes slightly too salty: the rice will absorb it.
Step 3: Simmer 14 oz waxy potatoes in the stock until just tender, about 15 minutes, then add 14 oz firm white fish fillets (monkfish, hake or grouper) and poach gently for 5 to 6 minutes, until the fish is opaque and flakes when pressed. Lift fish and potatoes onto a warm dish, cover and keep warm. Measure 1.1 litres of stock for the rice and keep it hot.
21 minStep 4: Make the allioli: blend 2 clove garlic, 1 pasteurised egg and 1 tsp lemon juice with a stick blender in a tall jug, then pour in ¾ cup sunflower oil in a thin stream with the motor running until thick and pale. Chill until needed.
Step 5: Heat ¼ cup olive oil in a 36 to 38 cm paella pan over a medium-high heat. Fry 7 oz cleaned squid for 3 minutes until opaque and starting to colour, then add 3 clove garlic for 30 seconds, then 1 ripe tomato, and cook for 5 minutes until dark and thick. Stir in 1 tsp sweet paprika.
9 minStep 6: Add 11 ½ oz short-grain paella rice (bomba or senia) and stir for 2 minutes to coat every grain in the oil. Pour in the measured hot stock, crumble in 1 pinch saffron threads, spread the rice evenly and bring to a boil. Do not stir again.
3 minStep 7: Boil hard for 8 minutes, then lower the heat and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes more, until the stock is absorbed and small craters appear on the surface. For socarrat, turn the heat up for the last minute until you hear a gentle crackle and smell toasting, not burning.
18 minStep 8: Rest the rice off the heat under a clean tea towel for 5 minutes. Serve it first with the allioli, then the fish and potatoes with a little of the remaining hot stock.
5 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 890 kcal
- Protein
- 45 g
- Carbs
- 78 g
- Fat
- 42 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
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Good to know
- How long does arroz a banda take?
- About 115 minutes in total: 40 minutes to prepare and 75 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of waxy potatoes?
- Sweet potato, same weight (sweeter, cooks a little faster).
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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