
Telmo Faria's Arroz de Marisco
This recipe for arroz de marisco, the signature Portuguese seafood and rice dish, comes to us from Telmo Faria, chef/owner of Uma Casa in San Francisco, who enjoys making it for family and friends. The son of Portuguese immigrants, Telmo was born in the United States, but he spent his childhood in the Azores, where his father operated a restaurant.
Ingredients:
- 4 cups (32 fl. oz./1 l) vegetable stock
- 1/2 cup (4 fl. oz./125 ml) clam juice, water or additional vegetable stock
- 2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 1/2 cups (10 1/2 oz./330 g) Arborio or Bomba rice
- Sea salt and freshly ground white pepper
- 1 1/2 cups (12 fl. oz./375 ml) dry white wine, such as Vinho Verde or Albariño
- Large pinch of saffron
- 1 lb. (500 g) small to medium clams, scrubbed and rinsed
- 1/2 lb. (250 g) firm white fish, cut into 4 equal pieces
- 1/2 lb. (250 g) squid, cleaned and cut into 1/2-inch (12-mm) rings
- 1/2 lb. (250 g) medium shrimp in the shell, with the heads on
- 1/4 cup (1 1/2 oz./45 g) seeded and diced fresh tomatoes
- 2 Tbs. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges
Directions:
In a saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the stock and clam juice to a low simmer. Reduce the heat and keep warm.
Meanwhile, in a paella pan or large sauté pan over medium heat, warm the olive oil for 1 minute. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and bay leaf and cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the rice and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the rice is translucent, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the wine and saffron and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid is absorbed, about 6 minutes. Add the stock mixture about 1 cup (8 fl. oz./250 ml) at a time and simmer, stirring occasionally, until most but not all of the liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and white pepper.
Add the clams and cook until the first clam opens, about 10 minutes. Add the fish, squid and shrimp and continue cooking until the rice is al dente, the clams have opened and the fish and shrimp are just opaque and cooked through (the rice mixture should still be a little loose), about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, then remove from the heat and stir in the parsley.
Divide the rice and seafood among 4 bowls. Drizzle with a little olive oil and serve with the lemon wedges. Serves 4.
Recipe by Telmo Faria, Chef/Owner, Uma Casa, San Francisco