Arroz a la Tumbada

A rice dish deliberately left soupy, with twice the liquid of a dry rice and the seafood added at the end.

Fish, Shellfish. Not vegetarian — contains fish, fish stock, shellfish.

Ingredients

• 350 g long-grain rice
• 1.4 litres fish stock
• 400 g tomatoes
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic
• 2 guajillo chillies, soaked and drained
• 3 tablespoons oil
• a large sprig of epazote
• 300 g raw prawns, shell on
• 300 g mussels and clams, scrubbed
• 250 g firm white fish, in chunks
• 150 g squid rings
• 2 teaspoons salt
• lime wedges, to serve

Method

1. IT IS DELIBERATELY LEFT SOUPY, WITH TWICE THE LIQUID OF A DRY RICE. Four parts stock to one of rice, where a dry Mexican rice takes two. That is not a mistake and it is not a risotto either: the rice is not stirred and no starch is coaxed out of it. It is simply a rice dish that is meant to arrive loose enough to eat with a spoon, with liquid standing around the grains. Cooked to the usual ratio it is a perfectly good seafood rice and it is not this dish, and the clue is in the name -- it is meant to collapse.
2. THE RICE IS RINSED AND THEN FRIED, AND THE FRYING MATTERS MORE HERE THAN USUAL. Rinsed until the water runs clear to get the loose starch off, drained well, then fried in oil until the grains turn chalky white. In a dish this wet, any starch left on the outside of the grains would thicken the liquid to a paste; the frying seals each grain and keeps the liquid a liquid.
3. IT IS NOT STIRRED ONCE THE STOCK IS IN. Stirring a wet rice abrades the grains and releases exactly the starch the rinsing and frying removed. In it goes, lid on, and the spoon stays out of the pan until the seafood is added.
4. THE SEAFOOD GOES IN AT THE END AND ON TOP, NOT STIRRED THROUGH. The rice needs eighteen minutes and the squid needs ninety seconds. Everything is laid on the surface in the last few minutes in reverse order of how long it takes, and the lid put back; it steams there while the rice finishes.
5. THE EPAZOTE IS THE SIGNATURE AND IT GOES IN WHOLE. One large sprig, in with the stock, lifted out at the end. It is what makes this taste like this and not like a Spanish rice, and chopped in it would dominate the pot.
6. The rice rinsed in several changes of water until the water runs CLEAR, then drained thoroughly.
7. The tomatoes, onion, garlic and soaked guajillos blended smooth.
8. The oil heated in a wide heavy pan and the drained rice fried 5 MINUTES, stirred, until the grains turn CHALKY white.
9. The blended tomato mixture poured in and cooked 5 minutes until it darkens and the rice has taken it up.
10. The fish stock added -- all 1.4 litres, four times the rice -- with the salt and the WHOLE epazote sprig.
11. Brought to a simmer, covered, and cooked 14 MINUTES WITHOUT STIRRING.
12. The mussels and clams laid ON TOP and the lid replaced -- 4 MINUTES.
13. The fish chunks and the prawns laid on -- 2 MINUTES.
14. The squid scattered on and the lid replaced for 90 SECONDS, then the heat turned off.
15. Left to stand 3 minutes. The epazote lifted out and any unopened shells discarded.
16. TESTED: it should be LOOSE, with liquid standing around the grains. More hot stock stirred in if it has tightened.
17. Served in deep bowls with lime.

Our own recipe. This one was written for this site rather than taken from anywhere, so there is no source to point you at. The quantities and the order of the steps are choices, not the only way to do it.

Filed under Mexico · All recipes