This Rioja-style Spanish rice, known as arroz con bacalao a la Riojana, is one of Spain’s most underrated rice dishes. It’s filled with flavors, easy to make, and done in about 40 minutes using just one pan. Serve it next to a garden salad, crunchy baguette, and a bottle of Spanish Rioja for a delicious meal.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 60 ml
- 1 medium yellow onion (finely chopped)
- 6 cloves garlic (roughly chopped)
- 1 red bell pepper (finely chopped)
- 1/4 cup dry white wine 60 ml
- 1/2 tbsp sweet smoked Spanish paprika 4 grams
- 3 large tomatoes (finely grated) 1 cup / 240 grams
- 3 cups fish broth 720 ml
- 1/4 tsp saffron threads 0.17 grams
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 cup short-grain rice 190 grams
- 2 cod fillets 7 oz / 200 grams each
- sea salt & black pepper
- lemon wedges and fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
Heat a 12-inch (30 cm) paella pan (or any other type of large frying pan) with a medium heat, and add in the olive oil
After a couple of minutes, add in the chopped onion, garlic, and red bell pepper, and mix continuously, after 4 minutes and the vegetables are lightly sautéed, add in the white wine and paprika, quickly mix together, then add in the grated tomatoes, and season with salt & pepper, mix together and then simmer
Once the grated tomatoes have slightly thickened, about 4 to 5 minutes, add in the fish broth, saffron, and bay leaf, then turn it up to a high heat and give it a gentle mix
When it comes to a boil, add in the rice, give it one final mix so everything is evenly distributed, then simmer
In the meantime, add the cod fillets over some paper towels and pat dry, then season with salt & pepper, and cut each fillet into small bite-sized pieces
After simmering the rice for 10 minutes (which in my case was 8 minutes shy of the rice being cooked through), lower the fire to a low-medium heat and add in the pieces of cod, all evenly spread around, and then gently push down on each one so they're well integrated into the rice, simmer for another 7 to 8 minutes or until the rice and fish are just cooked through
Remove the pan from the heat and cover with a dishcloth, let it rest for a couple of minutes, then uncover and garnish with lemon wedges and chopped parsley, enjoy!
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| Enjoy! |
