Arroz con Mariscos
Seafood for me takes me back to my hometown Ensenada, which is a famous city for its wonderful seafood and fish. This rice with seafood reminds me to those times during the week when my dad, after picking me up from school, he would stop by the “mercado negro” which is the seafood market in Ensenada. I loved those trips to the mercado negro, because I loved seeing all the different types of sea creatures staring at me.
Then we would go back home where my dad would make the delicious arroz con mariscos. I remember that I always used to ask to get more prawns than anything else.
This is a wonderful recipe for a midweek feast when you want to treat your family or when you have friends on a Friday night and you want to impress them. I used basmati rice, but you can use long grain. I didn’t use paella rice, because this is not a paella.
Love,
Karlita X
Arroz con Mariscos
Ingredients
To make the Seafood Rice
- 2 cup basmati rice
- 1 cup pasilla adobo
- ½ red bell pepper sliced
- ½ yellow bell pepper sliced
- 1 cup frozen peas
- ½ white onion finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves chopped
- 4 cups warm seafood stock or warm chicken stock or hot water.
- 3 whole prawns skin and head on
- 10 mussels with shells and cleaned
- 8 scallops no shells
- 2 cups raw prawns
- 2 octupos tentacles cooked and cut in chunks(optional)
- 2 squids cut (optional)
- ¼ cup rapeseed oil
- 1 tbsp salt only if the seafood stock is unsalted
To make the pasilla adobo
- 1 dried pasilla chilli cleaned, seed and stem off
- 2 tomatoes cut in half
- ½ white onion peeled
- 1 garlic clove peeled
- ¼ tsp cumin
- ¼ tsp dried oregano
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
- â…“ tsp ground black pepper
To garnish
- 1 cup fresh coriander finely chopped
- 1 lemon cut in wedges
Instructions
To make the pasilla adobo
- Place the dried pasilla chilli that has been cleaned, deseeded and the stem has been removed, in a sauce pan. Add the tomato, onion, garlic and add 2 cups of water.
- Put the lid on and bring to a boil and turn the heat down. Simmer for 10 min.
- Turn the heat off and remove the lid. Set aside to cool down.
- Once the veggies and the pasilla have cooled down, place them in a blender and add all the spices and vinegar from the list of ingredients. Add ½ cup of the water where the pasilla was cooked on.
- Blend until smooth. Set aside.
To make the Arroz con Mariscos
- In a large sauce pan or dutch oven heat the rapeseed oil at medium heat and then add the onion and garlic. Fry them for 5 minutes and add the sliced peppers. Continue frying the vegetables for 5 more minutes.
- Then lower the heat and add the rice and fry for 5 minutes, making sure the rice gets coated with the oil. Then add one cup of the pasilla adobo, add the salt at this stage if the stock is unsalted. Add the frozen peas, mix slighty and then add the 4 cups of seafood stock. Mix gently just once. Put the lid on and let simmer for 10 minutes at low heat.
- After 10 minutes check if the stock has reduce and add the seafood. Cook for 10 more minutes.
- After 20 minutes the seafood should be cooked and the rice should have absorb the seafood stock and should be perfectly cooked. Introduce a spoon to the bottom of the rice to check if still have stock.
To serve
- Mix gently the rice with the seafood and place it on a large serving plate. Scatter some chopped coriander on top and place some lemon wedges on the side.
- Don't forget to place an empty bowl so people can put the mussel's shells. Enjoy with some very cold coronitas.
I would love to hear if you liked this recipe, tag me on social media #mexicanfoodmemories to see your creations. And if you want to learn to make this recipe and more, join me in one of my Mexican Cooking Classes.
Listo!
Provecho!
