Portuguese seafood rice (arroz de marisco)

Arroz de marisco regularly makes lists of the seven wonders of Portuguese food, and one pot explains why: rice simmered in a garlicky tomato broth until plump, then crowned with shrimp, mussels, clams and squid in the final minutes, everything fragrant with paprika and fresh herbs.

The style to aim for is malandrinho — “naughty” rice, loose and brothy, never dry. This is a dish eaten with a spoon, with bread nearby and lemon on the side.

It is celebration food on the Portuguese coast — the pot arrives at the table and conversation stops. Timing the seafood in stages is the only technique it asks of you.

Arroz de Marisco Recipe

Prep time: 20 minutes · Cook time: 30 minutes · Total: 50 minutes · Servings: 4 · Calories: ~203 per serving

Ingredients

• 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 pound mussels, cleaned
• 1 pound clams, cleaned
• 1 cup calamari rings
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup diced tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 cup Arborio or short-grain rice
• ½ cup dry white wine
• 4 cups water
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
• ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
• ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Lemon wedges, for serving

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil in a deep pot and sauté the onion and garlic 3 to 4 minutes.
2. Add the tomatoes and tomato paste and cook about 5 minutes, until thickened.
3. Stir in the rice and toast 2 to 3 minutes.
4. Add the wine, scraping the bottom, and reduce by half.
5. Add the water, paprika, pepper flakes, salt and pepper, and simmer the rice about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
6. Add the calamari, mussels and clams, cover, and cook 5 minutes, until the shells open.
7. Add the shrimp and cook 3 to 4 minutes more, until pink. Discard unopened shells.
8. Adjust seasoning, stir in the cilantro and parsley, and serve hot — brothy, with lemon wedges.

Recipe Notes

• Keep it wetter than feels right: malandrinho rice continues absorbing at the table.
• Shrimp-shell stock instead of water doubles the depth for ten extra minutes of effort.
• Half cilantro, half parsley is the classic herb balance — all cilantro is the coastal power move.

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