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    Rice · Recipe · Valencia · Reference page

    Arroz negro

    arroz negro / arròs negre

    Rice cooked black with cuttlefish and its ink in fish stock, in a wide, shallow pan, and served with aioli. The recipe for four is from the Valencian regional tourism agency, which finishes the rice in the oven.

    Black cuttlefish-ink rice with cuttlefish pieces and opened mussels in a shallow pan,with aioli alongside.
    Editorial illustration of the documented recipe; not a photograph of a kitchen-tested result.
    Servings
    4
    Preparation
    15 min
    Cooking
    30 min
    Total
    45 min
    Difficulty
    Moderate

    Equipment

    • Wide, shallow paella-type pan that can go in the oven
    • Small saucepan for the mussels
    • Oven at 180 °C
    Servings4

    Ingredients

    • Rice

    • To finish

    Shopping list

    Method

    1. Clean the cuttlefish, removing the insides and setting the ink sacs aside.

    2. Fry the cuttlefish in the olive oil in the wide pan and add salt. Add the garlic, then the tomato sauce, and stir.

    3. Pour in the fish stock and the cuttlefish ink. Bring to the boil, add salt if needed, then add the rice and stir.

      Why The rice is stirred once to spread it evenly; after that it is left alone, like a paella.

    4. Cook for 5 minutes on the hob, then put the pan in the oven at 180 °C for about 16 minutes.

      Timer · 21 min21:00

    5. Meanwhile boil the mussels until they open and set them aside.

      Why Discard any that stay closed (editorial note).

    6. Take the rice out, lay the opened mussels on top and serve with aioli on the side.

    To drink & serve with

    • The source serves it with aioli. Editorial suggestion: a crisp Mediterranean white.

    Substitutions

    • Cuttlefish ink sacs → Sachets of squid or cuttlefish ink from a fishmonger or deli.
    • Small cuttlefish → Squid, cleaned and cut into rings (editorial suggestion).

    Common mistakes

    • Stirring the rice once it is cooking: it releases starch and turns creamy instead of loose.
    • A deep layer of rice in a small pan: the top stays hard.

    Storage & reheating

    Eat at once. Leftover rice and seafood: cool within an hour, refrigerate and eat within a day; reheat once, until steaming hot (UK FSA).

    Safety

    Contains molluscs (cuttlefish, mussels) and fish (stock). Aioli made with egg yolk contains egg. Buy live mussels with closed shells and discard any that do not open on cooking.

    Allergens

    Molluscs · Fish · Egg

    Check labels: stock, bacon and sauces can contain further allergens.

    Dietary

    gluten-free · dairy-free

    A coastal rice of the Valencian Community

    The Valencian regional tourism agency describes arroz negro as a seafood rice "with centuries of history" eaten in Castellón, Valencia and Alicante. The recipe changes with the day's catch at the fish market, but one thing never changes: the ink, which gives the rice its black colour. It is served with aioli on the side.

    [1]

    Thin layer, ink in the stock

    Like paella, arroz negro is cooked in a wide, shallow pan, which keeps the rice in a thin layer and the grains loose. The cuttlefish is fried first in olive oil, then garlic and tomato; the ink goes in with the fish stock, so it colours every grain. The agency's version uses Bomba rice from the Valencia designation of origin, boils it for five minutes and finishes it for about 16 minutes in an oven at 180 °C.

    [1]

    How it connects

    Place

    • origin Valencia In preparation

    Rice

    Recipe

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