Name: Arroz con mariscos
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 70 min
Cuisine: Peruvian cuisine
Ingredients: 300 g dry long-grain white rice, rinsed and drained; 520 ml water, for the rice; 10 ml neutral oil, for the rice; 220 g raw peeled prawns, deveined; 220 g cleaned squid, rings; 180 g raw scallop meat, refrigerated; 180 g red onion, finely chopped; 14 g garlic, minced; 60 g ají amarillo paste, mild-to-medium Peruvian yellow chilli; 30 g ají panca paste, dark-red Peruvian chilli; 180 ml unsalted fish stock; 100 g red bell pepper, thin strips; 100 g cooked green peas; 20 ml neutral oil, for sautéing; 6 g fine salt; 2 g ground cumin; 15 g fresh coriander, chopped

Peruvian arroz con mariscos with ají amarillo

Yield 4 plates

Prep time 25 minutes

Cook time 40 minutes

Passive time 5 minutes

Total time 70 minutes

Ingredients ↓

Overview

Peruvian arroz con mariscos with ají amarillo

Arroz con mariscos is a Peruvian seafood rice dish rather than a generic mixed seafood pilaf. The key is the aderezo, a cooked aromatic base of onion, garlic and Peruvian ají pastes that colours and flavours the grains. Recipes differ in the precise seafood assortment and whether the rice is cooked separately.

Here the long-grain rice is prepared first and then folded through a sauce made with ají amarillo and deeper-flavoured ají panca. This separates the grain texture from the short cooking time needed by squid, prawns and scallops. It also prevents the cook from keeping delicate seafood on the heat for the full rice-cooking interval.

The sauce must be loose enough to coat the rice without drowning it. A modest amount of fish stock carries the seasoning, while peppers and peas supply colour and small bursts of texture. The final stirring is gentle; a hard boil after the seafood is added turns squid rubbery and scallops dry.

Ingredients

Rice

300 g dry long-grain white rice, rinsed and drained
520 ml water, for the rice
10 ml neutral oil, for the rice

Seafood and ají base

220 g raw peeled prawns, deveined
220 g cleaned squid, rings
180 g raw scallop meat, refrigerated
180 g red onion, finely chopped
14 g garlic, minced
60 g ají amarillo paste, mild-to-medium Peruvian yellow chilli
30 g ají panca paste, dark-red Peruvian chilli
180 ml unsalted fish stock
100 g red bell pepper, thin strips
100 g cooked green peas
20 ml neutral oil, for sautéing
6 g fine salt
2 g ground cumin
15 g fresh coriander, chopped

Method

Steam distinct rice grains.Combine the 300 g rinsed rice with 520 ml water and 10 ml oil in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook on low heat for 15 minutes; then turn off the heat. The grains are tender yet separate, with no pool of water at the base. Refrigerate any rice not used straight away.
Let rice steam off the heat.Leave the covered rice undisturbed off the heat for 5 minutes before uncovering and fluffing gently. The grains remain fluffy and release steam without liquid pooling.
Measure and prepare the seafood.Pat the 220 g prawns, 220 g squid and 180 g scallops dry, trimming away any tough membrane. Keep them cold in separate bowls until needed. The seafood pieces are even-sized and free from excess liquid. Keep raw seafood under refrigeration and wash utensils before touching cooked rice.
Build the onion and chilli base.Heat 20 ml oil in a broad sauté pan. Cook 180 g red onion, 14 g garlic and 2 g cumin for 5 minutes, then stir in 60 g ají amarillo paste and 30 g ají panca paste and continue for 5 minutes on medium heat. The onion is soft and the chilli paste loses its harsh raw aroma.
Soften pepper in the sauce.Stir 100 g bell pepper strips, 180 ml fish stock and 6 g salt into the ají base. Simmer for 5 minutes so the pepper softens while the sauce stays fluid. The pepper bends easily and a spoonful of sauce still runs slowly.
Cook the shellfish briefly.Add the prawns, squid and scallops to the bubbling sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes, moving the pieces through the liquid and checking that all are fully cooked. The prawns and scallops are firm, pearly and opaque; the squid has lost its translucent centre. Shellfish must be fully cooked; do not rely solely on colour.
Fold in the rice and peas.Add the cooked rice and 100 g green peas. Fold gently over low heat for 5 minutes until all grains are coated and the entire pan is steaming hot. Rice is evenly tinted by the ají sauce and remains loose, not soupy. Serve immediately; do not leave warm rice standing at room temperature.
Finish with coriander.Turn off the heat and scatter over 15 g chopped coriander. Lift through once to distribute without breaking the shellfish. Herbs are scattered through the rice and the seafood remains visibly distinct.

Practical

Success points

Cook rice separately so its texture is secure before the seafood is introduced. Cook the ají pastes long enough to remove their raw edge. Keep the shellfish cooking short and the rice hot at service.

Practical guidance

Bring the pan to the table straight away. Each serving should contain recognizable pieces of seafood in grains coated with sauce, not submerged in liquid. A squeeze of citrus can be offered separately only when it is specifically supplied and counted; none is required here. The rice may be cooked shortly ahead but must be kept safely hot or chilled promptly; do not leave cooked rice in a warm pan awaiting the seafood. The seasoned seafood base is best completed as the table is being set. Divide leftovers into shallow containers and refrigerate within two hours, sooner in hot weather. Consume within one day for preferred seafood texture; reheat the whole portion until piping hot and never repeatedly warm the same rice. Different fully cleaned shellfish can be substituted only with adjusted cooking times and disclosed allergen differences. Ají amarillo and ají panca should not be casually swapped for generic chilli powder: the colour and depth of the sauce will change substantially.

Control points

Wet and sticky riceToo much sauce remained before the grains were added. Reduce the stock briefly before folding in rice.
Rubbery calamariThe seafood continued to boil after becoming opaque. Shorten the final simmer and serve at once.

Nutrition per serving

Serving sizeone plate (about 370 g)
Calories620 kcal
Carbohydrates84 g
Protein34 g
Fat16 g
Fibre4 g
Sodium750 mg

Allergens and food safety

Crustacean shellfish and molluscs; fish in the stock. Check stock for other allergens. Refrigerate raw shellfish at 4 °C or below, cook thoroughly, and avoid cross-contact. Cooked rice must not linger in the temperature danger zone; promptly chill leftovers.

Closing

Result: Cooked rice folded through an ají-based seafood sauté.
Key control: Cook rice separately so its texture is secure before the seafood is introduced.