A genuine Arroz de Marisco should not be dry; it’s more like a seafood soup with rice. You will find it at most seafood restaurants across Portugal. It’s much wetter than Spanish paella and should be served with some of the shellfish displayed on top. And, of course, let’s not forget about fresh cilantro!

The secret to a flavourful Arroz de Marisco is choosing the right type of rice. The best choice is Carolina rice, which is a Portuguese short-grain rice.

Continue to read to learn how to make an authentic Portuguese seafood rice.

Ingredients

For 2 servings as a main course:

Seafood stock ingredient

4 cups shellfish shells (shrimp peels and heads, or lobster, crab... )

1 carrot, chopped

1 onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves

fresh coriander

salt

Seafood rice ingredients

200 grams of rice

½ kg fresh mussels

½ kg clams

6 shrimps

1 onion

3 garlic cloves

2 chillies

2 tomatoes

lemon juice

fresh coriander

dry white wine

salt

black pepper

Directions

  1. To make the stock, place a stock pan over medium heat. Roughly chop one onion and two garlic cloves. Once the pan is hot enough, add 1tbsp of olive oil, then fry the onion, the garlic and the shrimp shells and head until golden. Add in the chopped carrot, cover with room temperature water, and bring it to a boil. Let it simmer for about 40 minutes. Season it with salt and fresh coriander.
  2. While the shrimp stock is simmering, put the mussels in a pot with water. Cover and cook over high heat until they open. Sieve the liquid. Repeat the same process with the clams.
  3. Drain and rinse the shells. In a large pot, heat a few tablespoons of olive oil. Add the onion, garlic, chillies, coriander and lemon zest, frying gently for a few minutes. Add tomatoes and cook for another couple of minutes until they start to soften. Stir in the rice and cook everything together for 2-3 minutes. Deglaze the pan with 1/2 cup of white wine. Season with some salt and black pepper. Give it a good stir, add the seafood stock and bring to a boil and cook it on low to medium heat until al dente (about 30 minutes). Stir occasionally so that the rice doesn't stick to the bottom.
  4. Remove most of the clams and mussels from the shells but keep some in for decoration. Add all the seafood to the pan. Cook for 3-4 minutes, or until the clams and mussels have opened and the shrimps turn pink and firm. Season with salt and pepper and lemon juice.
  5. Decorate with the shellfish that you left in the shell and the whole shrimp. Top generously with chopped fresh coriander and a touch of chilli. Serve immediately and enjoy!