PeruvianArroz con mariscos
Seafood rice
Arroz con mariscos: Callao's saucy, ají-red seafood rice with prawns, squid and mussels
Arroz con mariscos is the weekend dish of Callao and the beach towns south of Lima, served in cevicherías as the hot partner to a cold ceviche. It is moister than a paella, closer to a risotto, coloured with ají panca and ají amarillo and finished with peas and a little Parmesan-style cheese, as many Lima cooks do. The common mistake is adding all the seafood at the start: the squid turns rubbery and the prawns shrink to nothing. Cook the rice first and add the shellfish only for the final minutes. Discard any mussels that are open before cooking and do not close when tapped, and any that stay shut after cooking. The cheese is often made with animal rennet; use a vegetarian hard cheese if you prefer. Chef's tip: simmer the prawn shells in the stock for 10 minutes; they give the rice its deep seafood taste.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 35 min
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Serves
- 4
- Per serving
- 560 kcal
Ingredients
For the rice
- 10 ½ oz raw prawns in their shellspeeled and deveined, shells kept
- 3 ¾ cups fish or vegetable stockhot
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 red onionfinely chopped
- 4 garliccloves, crushed
- 1 red pepperfinely diced
- 2 tbsp ají panca paste
- 1 tbsp ají amarillo paste
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- 10 ½ oz long-grain white ricerinsed
- ½ cup dry white wineor extra stock
- 1 tsp salt
For the seafood
- 9 oz cleaned squidcut into rings
- 1 ⅛ lb fresh musselsscrubbed and debearded
- 3 ½ oz frozen peas
To finish
- 3 tbsp fresh corianderchopped
- 1 limecut into wedges
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Tap any open 1 ⅛ lb fresh mussels on the counter; throw away any that do not close, and any with cracked shells.
Step 2: Simmer the prawn shells in 3 ¾ cups fish or vegetable stock for 10 minutes, then strain and keep the stock hot.
10 minStep 3: Heat 3 tbsp vegetable oil in a wide deep pan over a medium heat. Fry 1 red onion, 4 garlic and 1 red pepper for 6 minutes until soft.
6 minStep 4: Stir in 2 tbsp ají panca paste, 1 tbsp ají amarillo paste and ½ tsp ground cumin and fry for 2 minutes until the paste darkens and smells toasty.
2 minStep 5: Add 10 ½ oz long-grain white rice and stir for 1 minute to coat. Pour in ½ cup dry white wine and let it bubble almost away. The wine cooks off for 20 minutes, but for an alcohol-free version use extra stock with a squeeze of lime.
2 minStep 6: Add the hot stock and 1 tsp salt, bring to a simmer, cover and cook on a low heat for 15 minutes, until the rice is nearly tender and still saucy.
15 minStep 7: Push 1 ⅛ lb fresh mussels, 9 oz cleaned squid and 10 ½ oz raw prawns in their shells into the rice, scatter over 3 ½ oz frozen peas, cover and cook for 5–6 minutes, until the mussels open, the prawns are pink and opaque right through and the squid is white. Throw away any mussels that stay shut. Add a splash of water if it looks dry; it should be loose and creamy.
6 minStep 8: Stir in 1 oz grated Parmesan-style hard cheese and 3 tbsp fresh coriander and serve straight away with 1 lime.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 560 kcal
- Protein
- 38 g
- Carbs
- 68 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does arroz con mariscos take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 35 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of fish or vegetable stock?
- Chicken stock, same amount (not vegetarian).
- What can I use instead of red onion?
- White onion or shallots, same amount (soak raw onion in cold water for 10 minutes to soften it).
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