Spanish cuisine · Dough, Pasta & Rice

Creamy Rice with Monkfish

Creamy, soupy rice with monkfish cubes, red bell pepper and saffron, somewhere between paella and risotto.

Ingredients · for 4 servings

• 400 g monkfish fillet
• 300 g round-grain rice
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 onion
• 3 garlic cloves
• 2 tomatoes
• 1.2 l rich fish stock
• 1/2 tsp saffron threads
• 1 tsp paprika (sweet)
• 100 ml white wine
• 5 tbsp olive oil
• Salt, pepper

Instructions

1. Remove the skin and central bone from the monkfish, cut into 3 cm cubes, salt and chill; finely dice the bell pepper, onion and garlic, peel the tomatoes and dice them as well.
2. Heat olive oil in a wide braising pot and sear the fish cubes for 1 min. per side, until white on the outside, then remove them – they finish cooking later.
3. Sweat the onion, bell pepper and garlic in the same oil over medium heat for 8 min., add the tomatoes and reduce for a further 8 min. into a dark sofrito with no free oil.
4. Stir in the paprika and the saffron dissolved in a little hot stock, toast the rice for 1 min. and deglaze with the white wine until the alcohol has evaporated.
5. Add the hot fish stock ladle by ladle and simmer the rice uncovered over medium heat for 16–18 min., stirring every 2 min., until it is creamy but still clearly soupy.
6. Fold in the monkfish cubes for the last 3 min., season with salt and pepper, and serve immediately in deep bowls while the rice is still flowing.