Chef Isabel
Arròs al Forn de Vigilia
Arròs al forn de vigilia is Valencia's meatless baked rice for Cuaresma: chickpeas, potato, tomato, and a whole garlic head set in a clay cazuela and baked dry, with no stirring.
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Arroz Empedrado Valenciano
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Arroz empedrado is Valencian rice with desalted cod and white beans scattered through the pan like little stones, built on a slow pepper and tomato sofrito and finished dry, never soupy.
Main Dishes
Spanish
Easter
Budget Friendly
Comfort Food
30 min
Active Time
45 min cook•25 hr 15 min total
Yield4 to 5 servings
Arroz empedrado is Valencian, a dry rice of salt cod and white beans, named for the way the beans cobble the surface of the pan. This is an arroz, not a paella wearing another name. It belongs to the meatless kitchen of Lent and Fridays, when a little bacalao, properly soaked, can season the whole table.
The method that decides it is the sofrito, the slow onion base with pepper, tomato, ñora, garlic, and pimentón. Cook it until the tomato is dark and almost jammy, with the oil coming back around the edges. Rush that and the rice tastes thin. Give it time and the cod, beans, and rice have somewhere to stand.
If you're far from Valencia, use a Spanish short-grain rice if you can, bomba, Sénia, or Calasparra. Arborio works at a pinch, but it drinks differently and softens more, so handle it gently and do not stir once the broth is in. For the cod, buy good salt cod and desalinate it yourself if possible. No hace falta haber pisado España. You need the right rice, patient sofrito, and a wide pan.
The Margin beside this one in my notebook says only: taste the cod before salting. Sensible woman. The salt is already in the dish, waiting to surprise you if you charge in like a hero. Siempre sale, si lo sigues.
Arroz empedrado belongs to the rice country of Valencia and its inland and coastal home kitchens, where short-grain rice met the preserved larder of salt cod and dried legumes. The name comes from empedrado, paved or cobbled, because the white beans sit among the rice like stones in a street. It is tied to the meatless calendar of Lent and Fridays, when bacalao gave depth without breaking abstinence, and the rice pan still came to the table full.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
salt cod
Quantity
300g
desalted for 24 to 36 hours, skin and bones removed, flaked into large pieces
Valencian short-grain rice, such as Sénia, bomba, or Calasparra
Quantity
250g
cooked white beans
Quantity
250g
drained
light fish stock or water
Quantity
1 litre
hot
onion
Quantity
1 medium
finely chopped
red pepper
Quantity
1
diced
green Italian frying pepper
Quantity
1
diced
ripe tomatoes
Quantity
2
grated
garlic
Quantity
3 cloves
finely chopped
dried ñora pepper
Quantity
1
soaked, flesh scraped
sweet pimentón
Quantity
1 teaspoon
saffron threads
Quantity
1 pinch
extra virgin olive oil
Quantity
75ml
salt
Quantity
only if needed
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| salt coddesalted for 24 to 36 hours, skin and bones removed, flaked into large pieces | 300g |
| Valencian short-grain rice, such as Sénia, bomba, or Calasparra | 250g |
| cooked white beansdrained | 250g |
| light fish stock or waterhot | 1 litre |
| onionfinely chopped | 1 medium |
| red pepperdiced | 1 |
| green Italian frying pepperdiced | 1 |
| ripe tomatoesgrated | 2 |
| garlicfinely chopped | 3 cloves |
| dried ñora peppersoaked, flesh scraped | 1 |
| sweet pimentón | 1 teaspoon |
| saffron threads | 1 pinch |
| extra virgin olive oil | 75ml |
| salt | only if needed |
Equipment Needed
- •32 to 36cm paellera or wide shallow pan
- •Box grater for the tomatoes
- •Small bowl for soaking the ñora
- •Clean cloth for resting the rice
Instructions
- 1
Desalt the cod
Put the salt cod in cold water, skin side up if it has skin, and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours, changing the water three or four times. Taste a small cooked flake before you season the dish later. It should be pleasantly salty, not harsh. Pésalo, no lo adivines, and taste too.
Thick cod needs the longer soak. Thin pieces may be ready after 24 hours, so taste instead of trusting the clock alone. - 2
Start the sofrito
Warm the olive oil in a wide 32 to 36cm paellera or shallow pan over medium-low heat. Add the onion, red pepper, and green pepper with a small pinch of salt only if the cod is not too salty. Cook 12 to 15 minutes, stirring often, until the vegetables are soft and sweet, not browned hard.
- 3
Cook it dark
Add the garlic and scraped ñora flesh and cook one minute. Stir in the grated tomato and cook slowly until the tomato loses its water, darkens, and the oil shows at the edges, about 10 minutes. This is the step that decides the dish. A pale wet sofrito gives you pale wet rice.
- 4
Season the base
Stir in the pimentón for a few seconds, off the strongest heat so it smells sweet and does not scorch. Add the flaked cod and turn it gently through the sofrito for two minutes, just until it firms at the edges. Scatter in the white beans and shake the pan to settle them.
- 5
Toast the rice
Add the rice and move it through the oil and sofrito for one minute, until the grains look glossy. Toasting the rice lightly helps it stay separate later. From here on, treat it like a dry Valencian arroz: spread it flat and stop fussing.
- 6
Add hot stock
Crush the saffron between your fingers into the hot stock or water, then pour it into the pan all at once. Shake the pan gently so the rice lies even, then do not stir. Boil briskly for 8 minutes, tasting the liquid for salt only now, after the cod has spoken.
- 7
Finish dry
Lower the heat and cook 10 to 12 minutes more, until the rice is just tender and the liquid has disappeared. If one side cooks faster, turn the pan, not the rice. In the last minute, raise the heat briefly if you want a little socarrat, the toasted crust on the bottom, but stop at nutty and golden, not burned.
- 8
Rest the rice
Take the pan off the heat, cover loosely with a clean cloth or paper, and rest 5 minutes. The grains finish settling and the beans sit proud on the surface, like the cobbles that gave the dish its name. Serve from the pan, tal como se hace allí.
Chef Tips
- •Use real salt cod, not fresh cod sprinkled with salt at the last minute. Fresh cod gives you flakes of fish, but it does not season the rice from inside the way bacalao does.
- •For the rice, Sénia or bomba is best. Calasparra works well for cooks outside Valencia. Arborio is the emergency choice; use 900ml stock first and add a little more only if the rice is still chalky.
- •Canned white beans are fine here if they are firm and not sweetened. Rinse them gently and add them after the sofrito so they stay whole. That shortcut costs the dish little.
- •Do not stir after the stock goes in. Stirring works the starch loose and turns a dry arroz into something soft and thick. A good rice pan looks calm because the cook has stopped interfering.
- •A dry white from Valencia, or a cold glass of fino, sits well with the salt cod and pimentón. Bread is useful for the bottom of the pan, especially if you caught a little socarrat.
Advance Preparation
- •Desalt the cod 24 to 36 hours ahead, keeping it refrigerated and changing the water several times.
- •Cook the white beans a day ahead if using dried beans; 100g dried beans gives about 250g cooked. Keep them covered in their cooking liquid until needed.
- •The sofrito can be made earlier the same day and held at room temperature for a few hours, but cook the rice just before serving. Dry arroz waits for nobody.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 420g)
Calories
475 calories
Total Fat
15 g
Saturated Fat
2 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
13 g
Cholesterol
30 mg
Sodium
650 mg
Total Carbohydrates
60 g
Dietary Fiber
6 g
Sugars
4 g
Protein
25 g
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