Arroz con Mariscos (Peruvian Paella)

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Arroz con Mariscos, Peruvian Paella

Arroz con Mariscos, Peruvian Paella

The Spanish Paella is popular all over the Americas and the Caribbean where each culture has made it their own — in Louisiana the Creole and Cajun cooks transformed the Paella into the Jambalaya, and in Peru we added a spicy aji amarillo onion sofrito to give birth to the Arroz con Mariscos, or Peruvian Paella. Start by cooking steamed rice with a saffron to honor the roots of this dish. Prepare the seafood, sauté the sofrito, and then combine all the ingredients in a paella pan. Garnish with cilantro and parsley and top with freshly squeezed lime juice and shredded parmesan cheese for a touch of umami.

INGREDIENTS FOR RICE
  • 2 cups long grain white rice
  • 2 tablespoons cooking oil
  • 2 teaspoons garlic purée
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon saffron soaked in 2 tablespoons hot water
  • 4 cups water
INGREDIENTS FOR SEAFOOD
  • 12 shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 4 squid tubes, cleaned and cut into rings
  • 12 mussels, cleaned
  • cooking oil
  • salt
  • 1/4 cup dry white wine
  • 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
INGREDIENTS FOR SOFRITO
  • 1 red onion, diced
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 2 tablespoons cooking oil
  • 2 teaspoons garlic purée
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon oregano
  • 2 teaspoons aji amarillo paste
ADDITIONAL INGREDIENTS
  • 3 cups stock
  • 1/4 cup frozen sweet peas, thawed
  • 1/4 cup cilantro leaves for garnish, chopped
  • 1/4 cup parsley leaves for garnish, chopped
  • 1 lime cut in quarters
  • shredded parmesan cheese for garnish

In addition to the ingredients above, you’ll need a paella pan, a large pot for cooking the rice, and a large pot for steaming the mussels.

PREPARING THE RICE
  1. Sauté the garlic in a pot with cooking oil over medium heat, add rice and mix well
  2. Season with salt, add saffron and water, bring to a boil, uncovered
  3. When the water level is reduced, cover and lower heat until rice is cooked
PREPARING THE SEAFOOD
  1. Sauté the shrimp in a paella pan with cooking oil over medium to high heat, a minute or two per side, season with salt, remove from pan and set aside
  2. Sauté the squid in a paella pan with cooking oil over medium to high heat, about a minute total, season with salt, remove from pan and set aside
  3. Steam the mussels in a large covered pot with 1-2 cups stock, 1/4 cup dry white wine, and chopped parsley, set aside in a bowl, and discard unopened mussels
PREPARING THE SOFRITO
  1. Sauté the onions, red pepper, and garlic in a paella pan with oil over medium to high heat for a few minutes, season with salt, pepper, cumin, and oregano
  2. Add the aji amarillo, continue to sauté for a few minutes, and turn heat off
PREPARING THE PAELLA
  1. With heat off, scoop 4 cups cooked rice into the paella pan and mix with the sofrito
  2. Mix in the cooked squid, arrange shrimp and mussels on top, and sprinkle about 1/4 cup sweet peas on top
  3. Turn heat to medium, add 1/2cup to 1cup stock, bring to a simmer to create steam and cover for one or two minutes
  4. Uncover and garnish with cilantro and parsley
  5. Serve with lime wedges and shredded parmesan cheese
SERVINGS

4 servings.

NOTES

I used a 12″ Paella pan with a half baking sheet for cover. For the chicken stock, I used Better Than Bouillon chicken base paste to make the stock. Alternatively, you can use a fish stock. To make the garlic purée, blend whole garlic cloves with olive oil. Use about 2 parts garlic cloves and 1 part olive oil by volume. Steam the sweet peas in a small saucepan with a bit of water to thaw and warm up before adding to the paella mix.