This Seafood Rice is a filling a hearty dish. If you are a rice lover, you'll will want to make this Arroz con Mariscos recipe.
Arroz Marinero also known as Arroz con Mariscos is a traditional and popular rice dish from the Atlantic region of Colombia. It is made with a combination of seafood, vegetables and Colombian spices.
Seafood rice ingredients
seafood: I used shrimp, clams and white fish in my recipe, which are typical ingredients used to make the dish, but most people in Colombia also add squid, calamari, scallops and mussels to this dish. Feel free to use your favorite seafood combination for this rice recipe.
rice: long grain white rice is my favorite for this dish.
oil: neutral oil like vegetable or canola, you can use butter for a richer taste.
herbs: cilantro and parsley, omit the cilantro if you don't like the taste.
vegetables: onion, garlic, red bell pepper, carrots and peas.
Seasoning: seafood stock, tomato paste, cumin, achiote and salt.
You can find the exact amounts, cooking instructions and tips in the recipe card below.
Colombian-Style Seafood Rice Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
- 1 ½ cups long grain white rice
- 3 cups seafood stock
- Salt to taste
- 1 cup finely chopped white onion
- 5 garlic cloves peeled and crushed
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1 green bell pepper diced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon achiote powder
- ½ cup of fresh cilantro finely chopped
- 3 pounds of your favorite seafood: shrimp, fish, calamari, scallops, mussels, squid and /or clams
- ½ cup frozen diced carrots
- ½ cup frozen peas
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat in a saucepan, add the rice, stir until well coated and cook for about one minute stirring often. Add the seafood broth and salt, bring to a boil until the broth is evaporated, reduce heat to low, cover and let simmer for about 15 minutes or until the rice is tender. Remove from the heat and set a side.
- Heat the remaining oil over medium heat in a large sauce pan, add the onions, red bell pepper, green pepper and garlic, stir often and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 7 minutes.
- Add the tomato paste, cumin, achiote powder, salt, pepper and half of the fresh cilantro. Cook for another 5 minutes, stirring often. Add the raw seafood, stir and cook for about 3 minutes.
- Add the cooked rice, peas and carrots, mix well and cook until the seafood is cooked, about 5 minutes.
- Add the remaining fresh cilantro, fresh parsley and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
This seafood rice is a wonderful dish for family gatherings or special parties because it is elegant, very easy to make, filling, and absolutely delicious.
As a Colombian, cooked plain white rice is a dish I can't live without. I eat and cook rice everyday and can't even begin to imagine serving a Colombian meal without a side of white rice. I am never without rice in my pantry. If I’m out of arroz, it means I need to go grocery shopping immediately! Rice is a versatile ingredient and very easy to cook.
In Colombia we don't just eat plain rice, Colombian cuisine has a large repertoire of recipes using this delicious grain, some examples of them are: rice with chicken, rice with shrimp, rice with beans, rice with chorizo, rice soup, rice with pork and rice pudding among others.
I like to serve this Arroz Marinero (Seafood Rice) with patacones ( fried green plantain), tajadas de platano (fried ripe plantain), avocado slices, lime or lemon wedges, and ají picante (Colombian hot sauce) on the side.
Buen provecho!
More rice dishes to try:
Chicken and Rice (Arroz con Pollo)
Rice with Angel Hair Pasta (Arroz con Fideos)
Evelyne@cheapethniceatz
This seafood rice looks so inviting to eat. I am not the biggest fan of rice if served alone but like this, just perfect.
Belinda @zomppa
I simply adore seafood rices and rich flavorful dishes like this!
Angie@Angie's Recipes
It reminds me of paella...yumm!
Chris
Wow, that is such a gorgeous composition! Great colors, flavors and textures all woven together in one tapestry. Excellent job, Erica.
norma t.
OH GOD. Vivo en Canada y estoy encantada de haber encontrado todos esos tipicos
platos colombianos, definitivamente es la major comida del mundo con todos sus sabores,
Gracias poor compartir sus recetas.
Por favor me dicen que es ajiote y conque lo puedo reemplazar.
LaTai
This was delicious! Thanks for sharing