Recipe courtesy of Norman Van Aken
Seafood Stew with Rice and Salsa Criolla (Arroz con Mariscos)
- Level: Intermediate
- Yield: 6 servings
-
- Nutritional Analysis
- Per Serving
- Serving Size
- 1 of 6 servings
- Calories
- 996
- Total Fat
- 25
- Saturated Fat
- 3
- Carbohydrates
- 134
- Dietary Fiber
- 4
- Sugar
- 7
- Protein
- 52
- Cholesterol
- 207
- Sodium
- 1852
- Total: 1 hr 25 min
- Prep: 35 min
- Cook: 50 min
Ingredients
1 yellow bell pepper, roasted, peeled, stemmed, and seeded
1 Scotch bonnet, minced
7 cups chicken stock
12 mussels, cleaned
12 clams, cleaned
1 pinch saffron threads
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
1/2 pound sea bass, cut into 2-inch pieces
1/2 cup annatto oil or canola oil
1/4 pound calamari, cut into rounds
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 (12-ounce) bottle dark beer
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 large red onion, diced small
4 cups long-grain white rice
1 cup chopped cilantro leaves
Salsa Criolla, recipe follows
1 cup sweet peas, cooked
Salsa Criolla:
1/2 medium Spanish onion, diced
2 limes
2 cloves garlic, minced
Reserved minced Scotch bonnet
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
Directions
- Make a paste from the roasted peppers by mincing them, then mashing them with the back of a fork. Mix in half of the Scotch bonnet. Save the other half of the chile pepper for the Salsa Criolla. Reserve the paste.
- Heat the stock in a pot. Add the mussels and clams. Cover the pot, but check after a few minutes and remove the mollusks to a bowl as they open. Once all they are all out of the pot, add the saffron to infuse the stock and remove from the heat.
- In a bowl, season the flour with salt and pepper. Lightly flour the sea bass. Heat a saute pan over medium-high heat with 1/4 cup of the annatto or canola oil. When it is quite hot, add the bass and sear until golden crisp. Remove the fish and reserve on a plate. Now add the calamari to the pan and cook for 1 minute and reserve with the sea bass. Next add the shrimp to the pan, with 2 tablespoons of the pepper paste and 1/4 cup of the beer. Saute until just cooked. Remove the shrimp with a slotted spoon and reserve with the rest of the seafood. Now reduce the cooking liquid to a light syrup and pour over the seafood. Reserve.
- To a deep soup pot over medium-high heat add the remaining 1/4 cup oil. When it is hot add the garlic and onion. Cook until they start to caramelize, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the rice and stir to coat. Pour in the chicken stock, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Stir with a fork, and add the seafood, the rest of the beer, and cilantro and stir once more. Cover again and turn down the heat to medium-low, cooking for about 25 minutes. While the rice cooks, make the Salsa Criolla.
- When the rice is done, stir in the peas and serve with the Salsa Criolla on the side.
Salsa Criolla:
- Put the onion in a small bowl. Squeeze the limes over them; discard the rinds. To this add the garlic, Scotch bonnet, and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.