ARROZ AL BANDA

The delicious seafood paella

The delicious seafood paella

Arroz a banda is a paella dish made by pescaderos, or fishermen. Its special feature, or secret, is the fish stock, which can be prepared using different types of fish or seafood.

This stock is then used to cook the rice, usually with cuttlefish and prawns. Here in Spain, hake, red mullet or monkfish are often used for the stock. It is also very tasty if you add 2-3 large prawns with their shells and heads.

Arroz a banda is a typical dish from the region around Alicante in the Valencian Community.

Ingredients

For the fish stock:

1 onion
1 clove of garlic
1 spring onion
1 potato
1 carrot
1 bay leaf
2 g saffron
1 tsp freshly chopped parsley
200 g monkfish, hake, red mullet or other fish and 2-3 prawns with shells and heads
2 litres water
250 ml white wine
Salt

For the paella:

350 g short-grain rice
1 puréed tomato
1 tsp sweet paprika powder
250 g cuttlefish, cut into cubes or strips, or squid rings
250 g small peeled prawns
8 tbsp olive oil

Info

Persons: 4
Preparation: approx. 1.5 hours
Difficulty level: easy

The preparation

Step 1:

Fill a large saucepan with water and wine.

Step 2:

Peel and dice the onion, garlic, carrot and potato and add to the saucepan. Then add the spring onion and remaining ingredients.

Step 3:

Bring everything to the boil, season with salt and simmer on a low heat for approx. 1 hour. When the stock is ready, pour it through a sieve into a bowl and set aside.

Step 4:

Next, pour the olive oil into a paella pan and heat it up. When the oil is hot, add the cuttlefish or squid rings and fry over a low heat for approx. 5 minutes. Then add the prawns to the pan and fry for 2-3 minutes.

Step 5:

Add the rice, tomato and paprika powder, stir and fry for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly.

Step 6:

Finally, add the fish stock to the pan, distribute evenly and simmer over a low heat until the rice is cooked. Done!