Arroz de Marisco (Seafood Rice) — Supperclub Recipe (Serves 10)

Arroz de Marisco — Supperclub Recipe (Serves 10)

A proper Portuguese arroz malandrinho: saucy, comforting seafood rice made for sharing. This version is written for our Crawley Portuguese Heritage Club Supperclub class and uses traditional Carolino rice, a splash of brandy, and a rich prawn-head stock.

Recipe adapted from my original post on The Purple Door Supper Club.

A little history (and why this dish matters)

Arroz de marisco is one of Portugal’s great coastal comfort dishes—especially loved in seaside towns where shellfish is part of everyday life. It’s traditionally served malandrinho, meaning it stays loose and saucy, with the rice carrying the flavour of the sea rather than sitting dry on the plate.

This recipe also carries a bit of our own story. It began as a Purple Door Supper Club favourite, and we’ve brought it into the Crawley Portuguese Heritage Club Supperclub so we can cook, eat, and pass on these flavours together—one shared pot, one table, and plenty of conversation.

Serves

10

Ingredients

• Extra virgin olive oil

• 2 large onions, finely chopped

• 6–8 garlic cloves, minced (plus 2 cloves for the stock)

• 2 bay leaves

• 2 tsp sweet paprika

• Chilli flakes, to taste

• 2 tbsp tomato paste

• 2 ripe tomatoes, peeled, deseeded and diced

• 1 red or green bell pepper, diced

• Small bunch fresh coriander — stalks for the stock, leaves to finish

• Few sprigs of thyme (for the stock)

• 400 g Carolino rice

• 750 ml dry white wine

• Splash of brandy

• 1 lemon (zest + juice)

• Sea salt

• Black pepper

• Seafood: about 2 kg head-on prawns (or tiger prawns)

• 500 g clams

• 500 g mussels

• 400 g squid, cleaned and sliced

Prawn stock (do not skip)

1. Peel the prawns. Keep the heads and shells for the stock, and reserve a few prawns with the head and body intact (no shell) for decoration at the end.

2. In a pot, warm a little olive oil and sauté the prawn heads/shells until deeply fragrant and turning colour. Add the coriander stalks too (save the leaves for the end).

3. Add water to cover, bring to a simmer, and cook 20–30 minutes.

4. Strain the stock through a sieve, pressing/squashing the prawn heads and shells firmly with the back of a spoon to extract all the flavour, then discard the solids.

Method

Make-to-order note: This is arroz malandrinho (saucy, not dry like paella), so plan to finish and assemble it as guests arrive and serve immediately. You can prep ahead: make the prawn stock, chop everything, and clean the seafood earlier in the day.

1. Prawn stock: Peel the prawns. Put the heads and shells in a pot with a few sprigs of thyme and a couple of garlic cloves, cover with water, bring to the boil, then simmer for about 20 minutes. Strain the stock through a sieve, pressing/squashing the prawn heads and shells with the back of a spoon to extract all the flavour. Discard solids and keep stock hot.

2. Rice base: In a large pot, warm olive oil and sauté the chopped onions until soft. Add minced garlic and cook 1 minute. Stir in tomato paste, sweet paprika, chilli flakes, and bay leaves, then cook for another minute.

3. Toast the rice: Add the Carolino rice and stir well so every grain is coated. Cook 1–2 minutes.

4. Wine + stock: Pour in the white wine and let it bubble for a couple of minutes. Start adding the hot prawn stock (and keep it loose and saucy — malandrinho). Cook, stirring often, until the rice is tender, about 14–16 minutes (top up with more stock as needed).

5. Steam the shellfish: While the rice cooks, steam mussels and clams in a separate pan with a splash of white wine until they open. Remove from heat. Strain and reserve the cooking liquor; discard any that don’t open. Reserve a few prawns with the head on for decoration at the end.

6. Quick-cook prawns + squid: In a hot pan with a little olive oil, quickly pan-fry the prawns and squid just until they take on colour and are only just cooked. Don’t overcook.

7. Brandy (optional but recommended): Add a splash of brandy to the seafood pan and let it cook off for 30–60 seconds.

8. Finish + assemble: Stir the reserved shellfish liquor into the rice. Fold in the mussels, clams, prawns and squid just to warm through. Finish with lemon juice + zest and plenty of chopped coriander. Season with sea salt and black pepper.

9. Serve: Serve immediately while it’s still saucy. Garnish with a couple of head-on prawns if you’ve kept any aside.

Supperclub class notes (quick)

• Finish and assemble to order: this is arroz malandrinho (saucy, not dry like paella), so bring it together right as guests arrive and serve immediately. You can do everything else ahead (stock, chopping/prep, cleaning seafood, and steaming shellfish) and then reheat/finish at the last moment.

• Prep ahead: clean seafood, make stock, chop onions/garlic, measure rice.

• Key rule: seafood cooks fast — keep it separate and add at the end.

• Texture: this is meant to be malandro (saucy), not dry like paella.