Rice with a sea breeze

Step by step

1. Step 1

   Peel the king prawns. Keep the heads and shells for later.
   To make a good, strong fish stock, gently fry the prawn heads and shells in a good amount of olive oil, together with the saltwater crabs, for a couple of minutes. Add the onion, peeled garlic, bay leaf and roughly chopped tomatoes. Cook over a low heat for about 10 minutes. Cover with 2 litres of hot water and boil for half an hour. Strain and squeeze tightly to extract all the seafood flavour.

   Clean and debeard the mussels and set aside. Cut the monkfish and cuttlefish into cubes. In the pot where you’ll cook the rice, sear the monkfish and the flesh from the king prawns over a high heat and put by.

   Now add the cuttlefish, still over a high heat, turn it over a couple of times and add the chopped onion and garlic. Cook over a low heat for about 5 minutes. Add the grated tomato and cook for 5 more minutes until the mixture has crystallised. Add the brandy and keep cooking until it has evaporated. This is when you should add the rice: stir it around over a high heat, add the spoonful of paprika and cover with the seafood stock.

   Cook over a medium heat for about 12 minutes. Add the mussels and flesh of the king prawns, cook for 3 more minutes, add the cubes of monkfish, add more salt if necessary and serve.

2. ‘- You’re free to use any kind of fish and seafood, although you’re best to use a flavoursome fish with few bones.
   – Don’t overdo the quantities. Only cook as much as you’ll eat: this is not a good dish to serve up the following day. The rice tends to absorb the stock and split open.
   – This fish stew is ideal if you don’t want to tackle a paella, which requires you to catch the rice at exactly the right moment.
   If you are brave enough to attempt a paella, use the same ingredients and method, but only use half the liquid. It’s vital to pour in all the boiling-hot stock in one go.
   – If you want to use brown rice, you’ll need to cook it for 30 minutes.