The Valencian Community is a gastronomic benchmark when it comes to rice, as a consequence of the agrarian tradition of rice cultivation in the Albufera of Valencia. Valencian paella is known worldwide, and other dishes such as 'a banda' rice or 'senyoret' rice - both fish and shellfish - have also acquired great national fame. The latter is a recipe that -like all those for rice cooked in paella- is not without controversy: some argue that its origin is from Alicante, while another version says that it was born in the famous rice shop La Pepica in Valencia, when the Valencian painter Joaquín Sorolla asked that the scampi be peeled and placed on top of the rice.
The restaurant's cooks then decided to peel all the shellfish directly and what we know today as arroz del
senyoret
emerged
,
which they first called "arroz Pepica" there. In both stories the same situation occurs: the gentlemen -
senyorets
, in Valencian - asked the cooks for a rice in which they did not have to be peeling the shellfish, (not to get their hands dirty, not to find shells or for the mere pleasure to eat without worrying about nothing more than a good dry seafood rice).
The recipe admits a variety of fish and shellfish in its preparation, so that in each restaurant it may vary slightly; and even more in the houses, where Valencians pull their imagination with the seafood they have at their disposal. Although the common denominator of this rice is usually in the prawns or prawns, the cuttlefish and the squid that, sometimes, can be accompanied by other common ones such as the clóchinas -a relative of the typical mussels of the area- or fish such as monkfish or the emperor. It can also go well with some cuttlefish cut into slices.
In case the article did not yet have enough hidden controversy, I proceed to open the lemon debate.
It is said in Valencia that a good rice does not need lemon, claiming that it kills its true flavor and that only when it is not well done is it appropriate to mask its defects with the citrus touch of this fruit.
In my humble opinion as a Valencian, if you like it you can put it on and it won't be any sacrilege (but I always choose not to).
Difficulty
The point of rice.
Ingredients
For 4 people
For the broth
Head of hake or bones of grouper and monkfish or whitebait of fish (one kg in total, a little of each or all the same)
For the rice
400 g of rice
15-20 striped prawns or prawns
1 medium cuttlefish
1 monkfish tail
1 medium squid
2 medium tomatoes
50 g onion
Sweet paprika
A couple of strands of saffron
Olive oil
Preparation
Put two liters of water with a little salt in a pot and add the hake head, the grouper and monkfish bones and / or the fish whitebait.
Bring to a boil over low heat and cook for about 15 to 20 minutes from the start.
Strain the fish and thus we will obtain the broth.
Put a splash of oil in the paella, wait for it to heat up and fry the prawns or prawns.
Remove, peel the prawns and reserve.
Blend the heads and skins with a little stock from the stock, strain and return this concentrated flavor and intensity to the stock pot.
Fry the cuttlefish, squid and monkfish, previously cut into pieces of approximately two or three centimeters.
Add the finely chopped onion and cook until quite cooked.
Then add the grated tomato and the sweet paprika.
When everything is well fried, add the rice, which should be well impregnated with all the ingredients and be slightly transparent (pearly).
If necessary, add a little more oil.
Also add the saffron in this step.
Add 1.2 liters of stock and simmer over high heat for about five minutes.
Taste for salt, and if necessary, rectify.
Then lower to a simmer - without stopping - until the rice absorbs all the broth.
When it is ready, add the peeled striped prawns that we had reserved for garnishing on top and leave for five minutes covered with silver foil for the rice to rest a little.
Serve and enjoy.
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