Arroz Negro, Black Rice with Squid, a Showstopper
I know, I know, two posts in a row with recipes for fish. Not only fish, but mollusks, so popular where I come from, Spain’s Mediterranean coast, but not so where I live, Indiana. There’s an explanation, I’m still on detoxification mode from sweets after Christmas, and hard on the Mediterranean diet, the tried and true. But don’t fret: Valentines is around the corner, then a number of family birthdays, and soon after, Easter. Lots and lots of opportunities for sweets. So tag along with me, follow the Mediterranean diet, and your heart (and your waist) will thank you.
For years I thought I couldn’t make arroz negro, black rice, where I live. In fact, I didn’t make it, even though it’s one of my family’s favorite. If you are not familiar with it, it might look strange, its name even stranger, as it is, well, black. But even as children, while in Spain, my sons ate it with delight, and as I said, it has always been one of our favorites. The thing is, the rice ends up tasting very similar to a seafood paella, with other deep flavors that will keep you guessing where they come from.
After doing an online search and finding out that I could order the squid ink, I did a happy dance —a new discovery that I’ve started to take advantage of! I ordered it from Amazon (where else!), squid ink from Spain; it comes in 4 gr. (0.14 oz) pouches that can be stored in the fridge, or freezer. And it’s very inexpensive (less than $7 for 8 pouches). So there’s no going back: arroz negro, black rice with squid, is on our family’s menu.
Arroz negro is pretty simple to make, and quick, particularly if you plan a bit in advance and have all the ingredients ready. It includes recipes for sofrito, picada, seafood or fish stock, and aiolli, all of which can be made in advance —and you have all those recipes right here, on Mama Ía blog.
For this recipe I used lobster stock, because that’s what I had: I had made black spaghetti with lobster a few days before (there’s a theme here), and used the discarded heads and bones to make the stock. That’s the beauty of fish stock: whenever you cook with shrimp or lobster, making stock is very simple. You can click here for a more detailed recipe, but basically all you have to do is sauté the shells with some olive oil and salt, add the vegetables and sauté, add the water, adjust for salt, simmer, sieve through a colander, and presto, your seafood stock is ready.
Arroz negro, black rice with squid, is a showstopper in its looks, and I encourage you to make it. You’ll be happy also with all the preparations and leftover recipes: you can use the leftover sofrito for many other dishes (pasta, rice dishes, stews, braises), and the fish stock for paella, or any kind of seafood stew. I love having those recipes always on hand, so this is a recipe that keeps on giving.
BLACK RICE WITH SQUID
Arroz Negro
Ingredients (for 4 people):
12 oz squid, cleaned
2 cups paella rice (Bomba or Calasparra, substitute with a good medium grain rice if unavailable)
1/3 cup olive oil
About 6 cups seafood or fish stock (click here for recipe)
1/2 cup sofrito (click here for the recipe)
1 Tbs picada (click here for recipe)
2 or 3 4 gr (0.14 oz) sachets squid ink
1/2 cup aioli, for serving (click here for recipe)
Notes: the seafood stock, sofrito, picada and aioli can be made in advance, as they keep well in the fridge for 3 to 5 days. The seafood stock can be made in a larger batch and kept in the freezer for 2-3 months.
Method:
Separate the tentacles, then slice the squid body into 1/2 inch rings (if using larger squid, or cuttlefish, cut the body into 1-inch square pieces)
Place the seafood or fish stock into a saucepan, cover, and bring to a simmer.
Place the paella pan on the stove and heat the oil over high heat. Add the squid and sauté until browned on some spots (you will notice it releases water at first, then it evaporates and the squid starts to brown).
Add the sofrito, lower the heat to medium, and cook, stirring often, for 5-6 minutes.
Add the rice and stir to mix. Cook, stirring often, for 5-6 minutes.
Dissolve the squid ink into 1 cup of fish stock. Add two ladlefuls of seafood stock to the paella, stirring once in a while as the rice absorbs the stock. Add two more ladlefuls and repeat. Add the cup with the ink dissolved in it and stir to mix homogeneously with the rice. When almost absorbed, add the picada and stir to mix. Taste some grains to adjust for salt. Keep adding stock, 1/2 ladleful at a time, until the rice becomes tender (again, try some grains to check).
Serve with 1 or 2 Tbs aioli.
