Arroz del senyoret recipe, step by step

What sets arroz del senyoret apart is at the table: nobody peels anything. That takes work before you light the fire, and the recipe is organised around that work.

What gets peeled, what gets cleaned and when

On the day you make it, start with the shellfish. The king prawn (or prawn, or langostino, a large prawn) goes in peeled from the start; the cuttlefish very finely chopped; the monkfish boned and in small dice; and, if you add mussels, out of their shells. Monkfish isn’t in the Comunitat Valenciana PDF: we take it, with its quantity, from the Directo al Paladar recipe, because boneless fish is part of the dish according to the Turismo de Alicante guide. The shells and heads go into the stock: blend them with a little fumet, strain and return the result to the pot. That is how the rice tastes of the sea without anyone seeing a single shell.

With the fumet made (there is a fumet recipe) and the shellfish prepared, the rice goes quickly, which is why it suits group meals so well: the heavy work is done beforehand and all that is left in the pan is the cooking.

The sofrito and the finishing point

The Comunitat Valenciana recipe begins by browning the cuttlefish in extra virgin olive oil and then adds paprika, saffron and tomato, five minutes over a low heat, taking care the paprika doesn’t burn. The original PDF has two figures that don’t add up: 35 g of paprika and 15 g of saffron for four servings. These are obvious misprints, which is why they appear here “to taste”. A few threads of saffron and just enough paprika to colour the sofrito is plenty.

The rice goes in next, fried for a moment, and the fumet goes in hot. This is a dry rice, made in a wide paella pan, with the grain spread over the whole base. Cook over a high heat and, for the last few minutes of that same cooking, leave it alone so it forms the socarrat, the toasted crust. Then the king prawns on top and a short rest: the heat left in the pan cooks them just right.

How much stock

The proportion is another point of disagreement: the Comunitat Valenciana PDF asks for 2.5 litres for 400 g of rice, about six times its weight. Directo al Paladar uses twice as much stock as rice, 800 ml for 400 g, and the Turismo de Alicante guide gives the same measure for its Alicante rice. That is the one we use: it gives the loose, dry grain you expect from this rice.

What you can change without losing the dish

The morsels vary with the season and with what the fish market brings in. The rule doesn’t change: whatever goes in is ready to eat. Cuttlefish or squid, king prawns, prawns or langostinos, and perhaps a bivalve such as mussels, clams or escupiñas (warty venus clams), always out of the shell. The monkfish can be another firm white fish. The Comunitat Valenciana recipe recommends trying it with a little allioli, a rich sauce that lifts the fish and shellfish; you decide whether to put it on the table.

Typical mistakes

• Overcooked shellfish. A king prawn that goes in early comes out rubbery. The later it goes in, the better.
• Burnt paprika. It makes the whole base bitter. If you see it darkening, add the tomato straight away.
• Unseared monkfish. It falls apart in the rice; a brief searing in dice keeps it whole.
• Too much stock. The rice turns out soupy and the grain overcooks. Measure the fumet.

Similarities and differences with arroz a banda

They share fish stock and a dry finish. The difference is in how it is served: in the arroz a banda the fish is served apart, while here it is inside, already cleaned. Nor is it a fideuà, even though the fumet makes them close cousins.

A long table and everyone doing their own thing

This is the rice you will be glad of when people eat standing up, with children or with guests who don’t want to fight with shells. To work out quantities for a group, there is the guide to how much rice per person. And if there are 40 or more of you, we cook rice for groups live: tell us about your meal on our local fiestas page.