Mexican-Style Seafood Rice

Stock and prep

1. Get the most ordinary fresh vegetables, available year-round: a carrot, a large onion, a head of garlic, a ripe tomato. You also need a small bell pepper or half of a large one; the color doesn’t matter. If you like it hot, have a fresh chili pod ready.

   

2. Make the chicken stock in advance: simmer a chicken leg quarter or drumstick in 0.5 liters of water until cooked, about 40 mins. Don’t add spices or salt to the stock. Take out the chicken, let it cool and cut the meat into small pieces. Strain the stock.

   

3. Peel the onion, carrot and bell pepper. Cut the onion into thick strips, dice the carrot and pepper. Scald the tomato with boiling water, remove the skin and seeds, and chop the flesh very finely with a knife. Separate the garlic into cloves without peeling them.

   

4. Thaw the seafood, cover it with water, bring to a boil and rinse right away in cold water.

5. Rinse the rice under cold running water until the water runs clear. Parboiled rice, which most stores sell these days, doesn’t need rinsing.

   Seafood rice is best made with long-grain rice that stays fluffy: parboiled or basmati. Spanish Calasparra or Bomba rice works great too; it’s ideal for paella.

Vegetable stew

1. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat and let it warm through a little so the natural oil smell fades. Fry the chopped onion, pepper and carrot in the oil for 5-6 mins, stirring constantly.

   

3. Add the unpeeled garlic cloves and tomato flesh, salt lightly, and add sweet paprika to taste and a pinch of coarsely ground dried chili.

   Red paprika gives the dish a special aroma and flavor, so don’t be stingy. I added a heaped teaspoon.

   

4. Simmer the vegetables covered over the lowest heat until soft, about 15 mins. You should get a thick vegetable stew.

   

Rice with seafood

1. Add the rice and stir it well into the vegetables. Add saffron or marigold. Fry uncovered over medium heat for 3-4 mins.

   

2. Add the chopped chicken and pour in 1 cup of chicken stock (200 ml).

   

   Simmer the rice covered until it has absorbed all the stock, and only then add more stock in small portions, a quarter cup at a time, tasting the rice for doneness now and then. Rice usually takes up to 20 mins to cook.

   It’s very hard to guess how much liquid the rice will absorb, so it’s better to add the stock a little at a time.

3. 1-2 mins before the rice is done, add the prepared seafood and stir. If you like, add some very finely chopped fresh chili and a little chicken stock.

   

   Cook the rice covered until it is fully done and has absorbed all the moisture. If some liquid is left, lower the heat, pile the rice into a mound and keep it over low heat uncovered, stirring now and then, until the last of the moisture evaporates and the rice is slightly fluffy.

   Don’t aim for the texture of plov: rice with seafood is something in between. If you didn’t add too much liquid, you may not need to cook off any extra. Also remember that seafood doesn’t like long cooking.

   

Serving

1. The finished Mexican-style rice is a deep, intense yellow. Put the seafood rice on plates, sprinkle with finely chopped parsley and cilantro if you like, and serve hot.