Seafood Rice (Arroz Caldoso)

5 from 1 vote

Seafood Rice (Arroz Caldoso)

This easy Spanish seafood rice (arroz caldoso) recipe is a flavorful, soup-like dish that's perfect for any special family meal. It's ready to enjoy in less than one hour!

Prep Time20

Cook Time20

Total Time40

Course: Main, Main Course

Cuisine: Spanish

Servings: people

Calories: 228.13kcal

Author: Lauren Aloise

Ingredients

1 bell pepper diced
1 medium onion diced
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 scant cups Bomba rice or any round, short-grained rice
8.5 cups fish or shellfish stock warm or room temperature
4-5 pieces shellfish per person such as shrimp, mussels, or clams
salt to taste

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Put a heavy Dutch oven over medium heat, then add the olive oil and heat. Slowly cook the diced onion and pepper until soft and browned, about 10 minutes.
Add the rice and cook for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly to make sure it never burns or sticks.
Pour in some of the fish stock until the rice is covered by about ½ inch of liquid. Cook until it absorbs the stock, stirring every couple of minutes. When the rice looks dry, add more liquid until all the stock is added; it should take about 20 minutes.
Cook gently for about 15 minutes, then add the shellfish. They should open up in about 5 minutes of cooking, but be sure to discard any that remain closed. Add more stock if the rice looks dry.
Taste the rice after it has been cooking for about 20 minutes and add salt. Depending on the rice used, it usually takes 20-25 minutes to cook.
Remove the rice from the heat and let it rest for 5 minutes. Serve immediately to prevent the rice from overcooking or absorbing all the liquid, and enjoy with your favorite Spanish wine!

Notes

You can use any fish or seafood stock you prefer, just remember the better the quality, the better the taste!
You can use any variety of shellfish you prefer -- shrimp, clams, mussels, scallops etc.
Since this is a wet (soupy) rice dish, it's best served right away while the rice is perfectly cooked. If you leave it too long or eat it the next day the rice will be a bit overcooked.
If you can't find Spanish Bomba rice, you can substitute another round, short-grain varieties like Arborio, but the end result may be more creamy than soupy (still delicious!).

Nutrition