Paella Negra Recipe Spanish

Black paella is one of my favorite Spanish rice dishes -- yet it took me a while to try it! Today David shares his own arroz negro recipe.

Everyone stopped talking when the plate landed in the middle of the table. Inky black rice, vividly red prawns, bright wedges of lemon...

The black color comes from squid ink, a natural food coloring used in Spain for centuries. It's the signature ingredient of the black paella I had traveled across Spain to try.

Arròs Negre (squid Ink Paella/paella Negra)

I was at a tapas bar with some friends, having lunch on a hot afternoon in Valencia. This is the spiritual home of all things

When we dug our spoons into the wide and flat paella pan to serve ourselves way-too-generous portions of rice, we discovered the delicious secret at the bottom of the pan.

Is what real paella aficionados seek out: the crusty, crunchy, almost burnt layer of rice sitting at the bottom of the pan. You don't stir paella rice while it's cooking, so this layer gets a lot of heat.

Paella Negra 2.0

At home, I'm trying to recapture that dish and all of its flavors. This recipe is the closest I've gotten to the real Valencian thing!

Don't be fooled by the seafood on top, paella is all about the rice. It should be delicate, but not creamy like risotto. It should be crispy on the bottom, but not dry and undercooked. And most of all, it should soak up all of the flavors that go into the dish; the spices, stock, and vegetables at the base of the recipe.

You can substitute whatever meat, poultry, seafood, or vegetables you have to hand. As long as you treat the rice right, you'll end up with a delicious paella.

The Ultimate Guide To Making Paella Valenciana

The best rice for paella isbomba. It's a Spanish rice, short-grained and starchy. If you can't find it (it's not the easiest thing to track down lesser-known rice varietals), you can also use

To cook it properly, it really is worth investing in a paella pan. These flat, wide pans let you spread the rice out thin, to get that crispy bottom layer of

. If you don't want to buy one (maybe you're only ever going to make one paella), just use the widest, flattest frying pan you have. Enjoy!

Paella Negra (arroz Negre) Recipe

This black paella recipe will make you the best arroz negro outside of Spain! Bring the flavors of Spain into your kitchen with this tasty, easy, one-pan recipe.

Thanks for checking out my black paella recipe! If you've had arroz negro before, how does my recipe measure up? Let me know in the comments! You can also head to Lauren's other rice recipes, like this fantastic traditional paella recipe. Arroz negro is a traditional Spanish specialty originating from the Valencia and Catalan regions made simply with prawns, squid and squid ink. This dish with its ink stained rice is the epitome of of deep sea on a plate. This post was sponsored by Wente Vineyards. All opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make Beyond Sweet and Savory possible. This message is for readers 21+.

Now that spring is nearing its end, we have transitioned to lighter fare. Lots of salads, barely cooked meals, and seafood take center stage on our dinner table. I couldn’t be more excited to partner with Wente Vineyards to kick off summer with lots of delicious food, wine pairing, and more time spent with loved ones over communal dining. Having discovered Wente Vineyards many years ago while living in the Bay Area, we love their Morning Fog Chardonnay and enjoy pairing it with seafood, especially arroz negro, or squid ink paella.

Black Paella Recipe (arroz Negro)

Paella is the dish that made me fall in love with Spanish food but it’s arroz negro that cemented my love for Spain. Arroz negro is a traditional Spanish specialty originating from the Valencia and Catalan regions. Made simply with prawns, squid and squid ink, the striking ink stained rice makes this nothing short of a showstopper and is the epitome of deep sea flavor.

Arroz negro is all about depth of flavor. The intensity of flavor in the fish stock, the kind of rice, and the size of paella pan are the most important factors affecting how delicious this dish will turn out. For arroz negro, I used a basic homemade fish stock made from simmering a pound of prawn heads and tails with 4 cloves of garlic, 4 cups of water, and letting the volume reduce by half over 30 minutes. You can double or triple the amount to make what you need. If you don’t have time to make your own fish stock, get a quality stock from your fishmonger or local supermarket.

Use a short grain rice like Spanish bomba or Calasparra that will absorb more water than any other types of rice without losing its texture. The more stock the rice absorbs, the more flavor it will take on. A wide paella pan with a thin base allows the liquid to cook off quickly and evenly. The caramelization of the ingredients and how the rice cooks over the wide surface add different dimensions of flavor to the finished dish.

Paelya: The Most Up To Date Encyclopedia, News, Review & Research

After cooking the squid rings, I quicky sauteed the onion then added garlic, and tomatoes to let everything caramelize before stirring in paprika and saffron. Then I stirred in the rice and let it cook in the sofrito (aromatic mixture of gently sautéed onions, garlic and tomatoes) before pouring in homemade fish stock, Wente Morning Fog Chardonnay, and squid ink. Everything is simmered for until the rice becomes tender and the liquid has been absorbed. Keep an eye on the mixture and add a tablespoon of water at a time if it’s becoming too dry. Unlike a risotto, only stir it occasionally to keep the rice from sticking to the bottom and burning. After 15 minutes, I arranged the prawns on top and let it cook covered with a lid for about 5-7 minutes.

When the prawns are cooked, I added the squid rings back into the pans, then took it off the stove to rest for about 10 minutes. Traditionally arroz negro is served with a garlicky saffron aioli but I found that this dish is so rich already, a sprinkle of chopped parsley and a splash of freshly squeezed lemon juice add a lovely finish to this dish.

I love how the rice grains in the middle are tender but maintain some bites while the bottom has a crisp layer bursting with different textures and flavors. The braising liquid imbues every grain with heady ocean infused perfume and flavor that pairs perfectly with a glass of Wente Morning Fog Chardonnay. With notes of creamy lemon curd, graham, a touch of floral and vanilla, and a nice acidity, Morning Fog Chardonnay complements the richness of this dish. Next time you're looking for a great wine to pair with seafood, look no further than Wente Vineyards Morning Fog Chardonnay!

Arros Negre, Paella Negra Or Black Paella. Famous Spanish Rice And Seafood Dish, Served With Grilled Shrimps. Dark Color Of The Dish Comes From Squid Ink. Stock Photo, Picture And Royalty Free

If you try this recipe, please let us know how you like it! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #on Instagram. We truly appreciate your feedback and incorporate them to continually improve our recipes.It seems you either love squid ink or you don’t. If you’re in the former camp this arròs negre, loaded with shrimp and calamari, could just become your go-to recipe.

See, at the thought of being in charge of feeding a crowd, panic wells up inside me. Four to six people, no problem. More than that and I begin to worry. It’s silly because the gatherings we’ve hosted in the past seem to have been well-received and everyone leaves stuffed (because I tend to double or triple the food-to-guest ratio). The stress comes from trying to figure out what to serve for the main course–will everyone like this or that? What dietary restrictions must I consider?

I know I’ve inherited the entertaining anxiety gene from my mom and for years I’ve tried to conquer it by making a point to commit to having people over, to not overthink the matter. Looking back on gatherings I’ve attended, they’ve not always been perfectly executed but the hosts never lost sleep over the hiccups–so why do I worry so much? Apparently, my subconscious decided it was time for another dose of entertaining therapy.

Paella Origins, Variations, Wine Pairings, And Recipe

Really, this party should be fun. It will be a paella cook-off of sorts–not for judging each other’s skills (though there might be some of that made in jest) but mainly to distribute the labor. There are paella “specialists” in the group so we’ll prepare a few in my kitchen and sample different flavor combinations. For the two paellas I plan to prepare, the first will either be my Fideuà, a noodle version of paella, or this Vegetable Paella I shared recently.

The second one will be this squid ink paella. Not everyone will be a fan but I hope to convince the one or two naysayers in the group to learn to enjoy this sepia-rich dish, an ingredient that seems as divisive as anchovies. My squid-ink-averse husband became a convert with this recipe and