
Seafood is a Spanish staple thanks to the country’s extensive Mediterranean coastline. And squid and prawns are popular options at the Spanish dinner table or in restaurants up and down the country. Arroz negro is a Valencian and Catalan squid and prawn dish that is especially popular in these regions. These luxurious ingredients are blended with rice and seasoned with herbs and spices.
This distinctive dish is pitch black in colour thanks to the addition of squid ink. Here’s how to make arroz negro:
Ingredients List
- olive oil
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 1 stalk celery, finely diced
- 2 bay leaves
- 500g squid, cleaned, patted dry and sliced
- 1.2 litres light fish stock
- 4 x 4g sachets squid ink
- 1 fat clove garlic, crushed
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
- 300g paella rice
- 125ml white wine
- 8 whole raw king prawns
- 1/2 lemon
- 1 egg yolk
- 125ml olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- a pinch cayenne pepper
For the Aioli
Cooking Method
- Take a large frying pan and fry the onion, celery and bay leaves in a little olive oil until soft.
- Add squid to the pan and cook on a low heat until tender (this will take around 20 minutes).
- In a fresh pan heat the fish stock and squid ink. Leave to simmer.
- Add the garlic, paprika and 1/2 the parsley to the squid and fry for another minute. Remove the bay leaves from the pan and add the rice.
- Stir until the rice grains are coated in the oil.
- Add the wine and ink stock to the pan and season well then simmer for 10 minutes without stirring.
- Add the raw prawns to the rice and cook until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender.
- The dish can be served like this or drizzled with aloli.
- To make alioli use a stick blender to mix the egg yolk with seasoning and 1tbsp of water. Blend in the oil a little at a time until the mixture emulsifies and thickens. Stir in the garlic, lemon juice and cayenne then drizzle over the finished dish.
Other Spanish recipes you might enjoy include:
Cod With Tomato and Chorizo Sauce
Delicious Spanish Omelette (Tortilla de Patata)
Chocolate Churros and Chocolate Sauce
Are you thinking of living in Spain? Perhaps you like the idea of submerging yourself into the traditional Spanish lifestyle and cooking Spanish recipes every day? Whatever your dream, we can help. Why not get in touch with our team of local property experts today, to find out more about how we can help you.