A soupy, saffron-tinted rice brimming with clams, shrimp, mussels, and crab, simmered in a rich tomato-shellfish broth. Portugal's ultimate coastal celebration dish, served steaming from the pot.
Ingredients
300g short-grain rice
300g clams, scrubbed
250g large shrimp, shell on
250g mussels, cleaned
1 small crab, cleaned and quartered
1 onion, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 ripe tomatoes, grated
150ml white wine
1 liter fish stock
3 tbsp olive oil
Pinch of saffron
1 bay leaf
Fresh coriander, chopped
Salt and white pepper
Piri piri sauce (optional)
Instructions
1Heat olive oil in a heavy pot. Sauté onion for 5 minutes, add garlic and cook 1 minute more.
2Add grated tomato, bay leaf, and saffron. Cook 5 minutes until jammy and fragrant.
3Pour in white wine and let reduce by half. Add fish stock and bring to a boil.
4Add crab pieces and simmer 10 minutes. Add rice and stir well.
5After 8 minutes, nestle clams, mussels, and shrimp into the rice. Cover and cook 7-8 minutes until shells open and shrimp are pink.
6The rice should be loose and soupy, not dry. Season with salt and pepper, scatter coriander, and serve immediately from the pot.
Did You Know?
Portuguese fishermen say the rice must be "malandrinho" (a bit naughty) — meaning loose and soupy, never dry like a paella.