Black rice recipe (riso al nero di seppia)

A delicious first course with an irresistible flavor from the sea, and also visually very attractive due to its distinctive black color. The ingredient that dyes the rice in this way is squid or cuttlefish ink. With a few variations, this recipe is a classic from the Spanish Mediterranean coast (where it is known as arroz negro or black rice), passing through Italy (riso or risotto al nero di seppia), reaching Croatian Dalmatia, where it is served with the name of black risotto (crni rižot).

Use a wide enough frying pan. Heat a little extra virgen olive oil. Brown the prawns for a few minutes on each side and reserve.

Next, brown the chopped squid over relatively high heat for a few minutes and reserve.

Add a little more oil if necessary, lower the heat to a moderate level and fry the chopped onion and garlic. When the onion is transparent, add the paprika, stirring to prevent it from burning. Immediately add the peeled and diced tomato. Cook over low heat for a few minutes until its liquid has evaporated.

Add the rice, stirring gently (so as not to break it), and allow it to brown.

Finally add the hot broth together with the cuttlefish ink and stir so that it dissolves. Correct at this moment the salt.

Cook over high heat. After 10 minutes, add the squid to the rice and continue cooking for another 5 minutes over low heat. Place the cooked prawns on top.

Check in the instructions in the pack of the rice for the exact cooking time (it’s normally around 16 minutes). Turn off the fire after that time. If the rice is still a bit hard but the liquid is completely evaporated, then cover the pan with a kitchen towel. The residual heat will finish the cooking process.

Tips and tricks:

In order to succeed in the preparation of rice and paellas there are few secrets but of vital importance:

1. First of all, we must have a stock or broth, which will give the rice a lot of flavor. Using just water will result in a much less interesting result.
2. It is also important to note that for these rice dishes we normally use two and a half parts of broth for one part of rice (in this recipe, 500ml for 200g of rice).
3. The next secret is in the type of rice. You should use a variety of bomba, senia, baldo, etc., which are round (or short-grain) rice. They are ideal because they absorb all flavors of the broth. However, these rices have a more delicate cooking point, which brings us to the next tips.
4. Fire level is a crucial detail, and the most difficult one to master. Considering the cooking time of the rice, we must adjust the level of heat (and therefore, the boiling of the broth), in such a way that the liquid has completely evaporated at the end of cooking. Considering 16 minutes as the average cooking time for round rice, it is recommended to start on high heat and allow the broth to boil for around 8-9 minutes, and finish on low heat. But this is a general recommendation that we must adjust according to the circumstances.
5. Ideally, try to cook on a burner that distributes heat over the entire surface of the pan or paella, so all rice is evenly cooked.
6. As with pasta, it is always essential to check the rice package for the cooking time indicated by the manufacturer.
7. Sometimes it is recommended to completely cover the paella with a kitchen towel at the end of cooking. In this way, the residual heat from cooking is preserved so that the rice is finished. This is not mandatory but advisable when some rice grains are not fully cooked (usually those on the surface).

Other tips and suggestions for preparing the black rice:

1. Squid ink is quite expensive and difficult to obtain. So you will most likely find cuttlefish ink sachets in the supermarket, which works just as well.
2. Handle the ink carefully when cooking, since it can stain.
3. Don’t to salt excessively the rice, since the ink contains a significant concentration of salt.
4. This rice is normally accompanied with pieces of squid, which can be replaced by cuttlefish, squid, etc. But it’s also possible to use some fish such as cod.
5. Some recipes use only garlic for the stir-fry, and no onion.
6. As in many paellas, we can also add some saffron threads, which always add flavor. But it is worth reserving them for other recipes, since their typical yellow color in this case will be completely covered by the black ink.
7. To prepare a good stock or fumet, it’s enough to boil discarded parts of fish and/or shellfish (heads, bones, shells, etc.) together with some vegetables (carrots, onions, leeks, bay leaves, etc.). When the water boils, remove any impurities from the surface with a skimmer or spoon, and continue cooking over low heat for 20 minutes.