Portuguese Seafood Rice

You have heard of Seafood Spaghetti, Seafood Risotto, even Seafood Paella, but have you heard of Portuguese Seafood Rice, Arroz de Marisco?

Change up the usual Christmas spread this year by serving a non-traditional Christmas dish that can feed a hungry crowd! Similar to a risotto but saucier, home cook Lilian Liong’s recipe for Portuguese Seafood Rice is extremely flavourful. The rich, tangy tomato sauce made with Del Monte tomato paste brings out the natural sweetness of the seafood for a complex flavour profile in such a simple dish.

But if you are worried about cooking seafood, don’t worry! This delicious one-pan dish is surprisingly easy to cook! Hence, not only is it a great alternative Christmas dinner idea, it will also be one of the best Christmas party foods that you can have at your gatherings!

Here are the ingredients that you will need: onions, tomatoes, garlic, chicken stock, prawns, cuttlefish, mussels, clams, olive oil, paprika powder, bay leaves, carnaroli rice, coriander, and Del Monte tomato paste.

To get started, pre-cook the prawns first.

In a saucepan, heat up the olive oil and garlic. Fry until it is fragrant.

Add the prawns and sear them until they are cooked halfway through only then remove them from the heat and set aside. #Tip: pre-cooking the prawns on high heat brings out more flavour and gives them a more vibrant colour!

Next, prepare the gravy for the dish.

Add the prawn heads, shells, and chopped onions to the pan and stir fry. Use the back of the spatula to mash and squeeze out the tomalley from the prawn heads.

Then add the tomatoes, Del Monte tomato paste, bay leaves, and paprika. Stir fry and mix well for two minutes then add the chicken stock and bring it up to a boil.

Add the coriander sprigs and cover the dish to simmer on low heat for 30 minutes.

Once the 30 minutes are up, it is time to cook the rice and seafood.

Uncover the dish and remove the coriander, prawn heads and shells from the gravy. Discard these ingredients.

Then add the rice, cover with the lid and let the rice cook by simmering for another 25 minutes.

When the rice is cooked, add the seafood, cover with the lid again and cook for five minutes or until the clams and mussels are open and cooked through. #Tip: taste the rice before adding the seafood to check if they are cooked through. If the rice is still hard, cover and cook for another 10 minutes.

Lastly, place the dish on a serving plate and garnish the dish with fresh coriander. If you would like to go fancier, drizzle with some truffle oil to finish!

Get the recipe below!