Arroz Caldero del Mar Menor

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Wide caldero, cazuela, or heavy pot, 30cm
• •Mortar and pestle
• •Fine sieve
• •Small pan for poaching the serving fish

Instructions

1. 1

   Soak the ñoras

   Open the ñoras, shake out the seeds, and soak the peppers in warm water for 20 minutes until pliable. Scrape the softened flesh from the skins with the back of a knife and keep it aside. If the ñoras are very dry, give them the full soak; leathery pepper skin has no place in the rice.

2. 2

   Fry garlic gently

   Warm the olive oil in a wide caldero, cazuela, or heavy pot over medium-low heat. Add the garlic cloves and cook until pale gold, then lift them out. Add the ñora flesh to the same oil for 30 seconds only, stirring all the time, then lift it out too. Do not let it darken. Burnt ñora is bitter, and no amount of fish will save it.

   If you cannot find ñoras, use 2 tablespoons of jarred ñora paste or 1 tablespoon sweet pimentón plus 1 soaked dried ancho pepper. It is not the same, but it gives the rice warmth without pretending.
3. 3

   Cook the tomato

   Add the grated tomato to the red oil with the bay leaf and cook over medium heat for 10 to 12 minutes, until it has darkened, thickened, and the oil begins to show at the edges. This is the sofrito, the slow tomato base. Cook it down properly or the broth tastes raw and thin.

4. 4

   Make the picada

   Pound the fried garlic, ñora flesh, pimentón, saffron if using, and 12g salt in a mortar until you have a rough red paste. Stir in a spoonful of the cooked tomato to loosen it. A mortar does this best because it bruises the garlic instead of chopping it into sharp little bits, but a small processor will do if that is what you have.

5. 5

   Build the broth

   Add the rockfish, heads, and bones to the pot with the tomato. Pour in 2.2 litres water and bring it just to a simmer. Skim the surface, then stir in the picada. Cook gently for 30 minutes, pressing the fish now and then so it gives up its flavour. Strain through a fine sieve, pressing firmly, and measure the broth. You need 1.4 litres for the rice and about 300ml for the fish; if you have less, top up with hot water.

6. 6

   Poach the fish

   Return 300ml of the strained broth to a small pan and keep the rest hot. Season the firm white fish lightly and poach it in the small pan at a gentle tremble until just cooked, 5 to 8 minutes depending on thickness. Lift it onto a warm plate and spoon over a little broth. Cover it loosely while the rice cooks; this is the second turn of the meal.

7. 7

   Cook the rice

   Put 1.4 litres of the hot strained broth into the cleaned caldero or wide pot and bring it to a lively simmer. Taste it now; it should be a little saltier than soup because the rice will take it in. Add the rice, stir once to spread it evenly, and cook uncovered for 16 to 18 minutes, lowering the heat after the first 8 minutes so it bubbles steadily. Do not fuss with it. The grains should be tender with a little bite, surrounded by enough red broth to keep the rice juicy, not soupy.

8. 8

   Rest and serve

   Take the pot off the heat, cover it with a clean cloth, and let it rest for 5 minutes. Serve the rice first, with a spoonful of allioli at the side so each person can stir in as much as they like. Bring the fish after, with its broth and lemon wedges if you want them. The order matters: rice first, fish second. That is caldero, not just fish rice.

Chef Tips

• •Buy the fish for the broth before you buy the pretty fish for serving. Ask for rockfish, heads, bones, and trimmings from clean white fish. A good fishmonger will understand; a packet of boneless fillets alone will not give you a proper caldero.
• •Calasparra rice is Murcian and right here. Bomba is also good because it drinks broth without bursting. If you use ordinary short-grain rice, start checking at 14 minutes and hold back 100ml of broth until you see how thirsty it is.
• •Allioli belongs on the table, not stirred into the whole pot. Let each person add it to the rice. Too much in the pot dulls the ñora and fish you worked for.
• •Do not call this paella. A Valencian paella is its own dish, wide and dry with its own rules. This is Murcian caldero, cooked from broth in a deep pot and served in two turns.

Advance Preparation

• •The fish broth can be made one day ahead, strained, cooled, and refrigerated. Reheat it fully before cooking the rice.
• •The allioli can be made several hours ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator. Bring it close to room temperature before serving so it loosens.
• •Do not cook the rice ahead. Arroz caldero wants to be eaten after its short rest, while the grains still hold their shape and the broth is glossy.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 500g)