Seafood with Rice

Name: Seafood with Rice - Seafood Pilaf Step-by-Step Recipe
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 50 min
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Ingredients: Basmati rice 200 g; Seafood (mix) 300 g; Onion 1; Carrot 1; Green peas 100 g; Garlic 1 head; Celery and parsley (root) 50 g each; Olive oil 50 ml; Salt, black pepper, nutmeg to taste

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50 mins

“Boiled rice” is what the word “plov” (pilaf) means in practically all Eastern languages, and it has long been the central dish in the vast majority of Eastern countries.

It is an ancient dish served to welcome guests, to celebrate, and, sadly, to see people off. Pilaf is the foundation of Eastern cuisine. Uzbeks say: “A poor man eats pilaf. A rich man eats only pilaf.”

Making pilaf is an art, no less complicated than building a house. Pilaf masters (ashpaz) know many secrets that make pilaf unique. And a similar-looking seafood risotto is not considered pilaf.

For some reason pilaf is thought of as an Asian dish. Yet excellent pilaf is also made in the Caucasus. For example, in Azerbaijani or Turkish pilaf (pilav) the “gara” (the topping) and the rice are cooked separately and mixed on the plate or just before serving.

First, this gives a huge number of possible ways to cook it. Second, and this matters, it allows you to “slip up” on the technique, which beginners at pilaf will appreciate. Rice cooked separately is easy to make fluffy without fear of turning the pilaf into mush. And third, the rice and the gara cook in parallel, which saves time.

That is what we will do today. We will cook the rice and the gara separately and mix everything just before serving. As a starter we will make a seafood salad. So, seafood with rice. And if you specifically want risotto, the creamy kind made with Arborio rice, see how to make risotto, or go straight to risotto with mussels.

9 ingredientsTo the recipe

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Pilaf with Mussels

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Ingredients

2 servings

Basmati rice 200 g
Seafood (mix) 300 g
Onion 1
Carrot 1
Green peas 100 g
Garlic 1 head
Celery and parsley (root) 50 g each
Olive oil 50 ml
Salt, black pepper, nutmeg to taste

Step-by-step recipe

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To make seafood with rice, you can leave the seafood mix unthawed, since it will be cooked afterwards anyway.
Peel the roots (celery, carrot and parsley) and cut them into small cubes. The carrot can be cut a bit larger. Peel the onion and dice it. Separate the garlic into cloves without peeling them. It is best to take a head of garlic with small cloves.
Heat the olive oil in a frying pan (or a cauldron) until very hot. For pilaf, heating the oil this way is an important step. As soon as white smoke appears above the oil and it starts to crackle, add the chopped vegetables (onion, carrot, celery, parsley) and fry over high heat, stirring. Add the garlic cloves.
When the vegetables, especially the onion, become soft, add the green peas. Stew everything covered over low heat until all the vegetables are soft. The peas should be completely tender.
At this stage, season everything with salt and pepper and add a pinch of grated nutmeg.
Add the frozen seafood and stew everything covered for 3-4 minutes.
Note: no liquid is added to the seafood with rice. The vegetables release plenty of moisture, enough for cooking.
While the vegetables and seafood stew, cook the rice. It is best to use fragrant Indian basmati rice. This is a long-grain rice, the most common one for pilaf in the East. In Central Asia the more popular variety is “devzira”. The best basmati is grown in northern India at the foot of the Himalayas. I read somewhere that “basmati” means “fragrant” in ancient languages.
Cook the rice so that it is fluffy. Pour cold water into a pot, 1.5 times the volume of the rice. If you have a cup of rice (180 g), use a cup and a half of water. For basmati rice this is enough. Salt the water, add 1 tbsp of butter and bring to a boil. Add the rinsed rice.
Cook covered over the lowest heat you can manage. The liquid should barely simmer. Cooking time is about 20 minutes. In cooking this method is called the “absorption method”.
Put the cooked fluffy rice into the pan with the vegetables and seafood. Mix the seafood with the rice and let it steam over low heat, covered, for 4-5 minutes.
Seafood pilaf with rice and vegetables is ready.
Serve the seafood with rice right away. It is very tasty both hot and cold.