Spanish Rice from Castellón Spain | Arroz Rossejat de Castellón

📝 Ingredients

• 3 cups fish broth (720 ml)
• 1/4 tsp saffron threads (0.17 grams)
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (60 ml)
• 6 cloves garlic (roughly chopped)
• 1 cup short-grain rice (similar to arborio) (190 grams)
• 1 tsp sweet smoked Spanish paprika (3 grams)
• 2 tomatoes (finely grated)
• 1/2 lbs raw jumbo shrimp (225 grams)
• sea salt & black pepper
• fresh parsley for garnish

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1Add the fish broth and saffron into a saucepan, heat with a medium heat
2. 2At the same time, heat a paella pan or regular large frying pan with a medium heat and add in the olive oil
3. 3After a couple of minutes, add the chopped garlic into the paella pan and mix continuously, after 30 seconds, add in the rice, continue to mix together, after sautéing the rice for five minutes, add in the paprika and quickly mix together, then add in the grated tomatoes and season with salt & pepper, mix together, and then simmer
4. 4After simmering the grated tomatoes for five minutes, gently pour in the hot fish broth and give it one final mix so everything is evenly distributed, after this step, do not mix the rice again; otherwise, it will start to release its starch and lose its texture
5. 5In the meantime, add the shrimp over some paper towels and pat dry, then season with salt & pepper, and then cut each shrimp into small bite-sized pieces
6. 6After simmering the rice for 13 minutes, which in my case was 5 minutes shy of the rice being cooked, add in the pieces of shrimp, all evenly spaced out, and then gently push down on the shrimp so they're well integrated into the rice, simmer for another 5 minutes or until the rice and shrimp are cooked through
7. 7Once the rice and shrimp are just cooked through and there is virtually no broth left in the pan, raise it to a medium-high heat and go for 1 to 2 minutes, this is to achieve the socarrat, which is the slightly burnt rice underneath, and then remove it from the heat
8. 8Cover the pan with a dishcloth and let it rest for a couple of minutes, then uncover and serve directly out of the pan, garnished with fresh parsley, enjoy!