ARROZ CALDERO
Caldero Rice is a traditional seafood dish typical of the Mar Menor cuisine. The origins of this recipe date back to the 19th century, when the fishermen of the Mar Menor began to prepare it from the fish they were not able to sell.
Ingredients
FOR THE STOCK: 4 liters of water, the spine and head of a hake or monkfish, 2 onions, 1 fennel, 1 tablespoon of ñora paste, 2 tomatoes, 1 carrot, 250g shrimp heads, 100g of mussels, 1 bay leaf, salt & pepper.
FOR THE RICE: 400g of bomba rice, 1l of fish stock, 3 garlic cloves, 3 dried peppers (ñoras), 1 hake tail without bones, a few strands of saffron.
Directions
To prepare the stock:
Sauté the garlic, onions, fennel, carrot and ñora paste in 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
Add the shrimp heads, mussels and the fish.
Cover with water.
When it starts to boil, cook over a medium heat for 45 minutes. Reserve.For the rice: Seed the ñoras and slice the garlic.
In a saucepan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, fry the garlic and the ñora.
Remove the ñora.Add the rice and stir until golden. Then add the saffron threads and the fish stock.
Boil for 15 minutes.While the rice is cooking, put the hake in the hot broth for 3-5 minutes until it is well cooked.
Serve the rice stew with the hake placed on top, accompanied by some nice ali oli and fresh crusty bread.