Arroz Negro with Garlic Aioli

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Spain's dramatic black rice, built in a wide skillet instead of a paella pan. A 25-minute stock made from shrimp shells and a splash of clam juice gives it real depth, squid ink turns everything glossy and dark, and a spoonful of raw-garlic aioli melts over the top — the part you absolutely do not skip. Aim for a thin layer of rice, no stirring, and a crackly socarrat on the bottom.

Ingredients

• 1 lb shell-on large shrimp (shells reserved, shrimp peeled and refrigerated)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small yellow onion, quartered
• 1 carrot, roughly chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, smashed
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 8-oz bottle clam juice
• 5 cups water
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 flat-leaf parsley stems

• 2 garlic cloves, finely grated or mashed to a paste with salt
• 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
• 1 tsp lemon juice, plus more to taste
• 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup neutral oil such as grapeseed
• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• kosher salt

• 1 lb cleaned squid, bodies cut into 1/2-inch rings, tentacles halved
• 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1 small red bell pepper, finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp sweet paprika (pimentón dulce)
• 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
• 2 cups Spanish bomba or Calasparra rice (Arborio in a pinch)
• 8 g squid or cuttlefish ink (two 4-g sachets, or 2 tsp jarred ink)
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1/2 lb mussels or small clams, scrubbed

• 2 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges

Instructions

1. Source the ink first. Squid or cuttlefish ink comes in 4-gram foil sachets or small jars, sold at Spanish and Italian specialty grocers, well-stocked fish counters, and online (search 'cuttlefish ink' or 'tinta de calamar'). Two sachets, about 8 grams, is right for 2 cups of rice. If your fishmonger sells whole uncleaned squid with ink sacs intact, that works too — you'll need 4 to 6 sacs.
2. Peel the shrimp, refrigerate the meat, and save every shell and head. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a saucepan over medium-high and cook the shells, pressing them against the pan, until they turn deep pink-orange and smell toasty, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the quartered onion, carrot, and smashed garlic; cook 3 minutes. Stir in 1 tablespoon tomato paste and cook 1 minute.
3. Pour in the white wine, scrape the pan, and simmer until nearly dry, about 2 minutes. Add the clam juice, 5 cups water, bay leaf, and parsley stems. Bring to a bare simmer and cook uncovered 25 minutes — do not boil hard or it turns bitter. Strain through a fine sieve, pressing the solids, then return to the pan and keep at a low simmer. You want about 5 cups; top up with water if short.
4. While the stock simmers, make the aioli. Whisk the garlic paste, egg yolk, lemon juice, Dijon, and a pinch of salt in a medium bowl until smooth. Add the neutral oil drop by drop at first, whisking constantly, then in a thin steady stream once the mixture thickens. Whisk in the olive oil last. It should be thick enough to hold a ribbon; loosen with 1 teaspoon warm water if it gets stiff. Season with salt and lemon, cover, and refrigerate.
5. Pat the squid very dry. Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a 12- to 14-inch skillet (stainless or carbon steel, not nonstick) over medium-high. Add the squid in a single layer with a pinch of salt and sear, stirring only once or twice, 2 to 3 minutes, until the edges curl and brown. Scrape it out onto a plate — it will finish cooking in the rice.
6. Lower the heat to medium and add the chopped onion and bell pepper to the same pan with a pinch of salt. Cook 8 to 10 minutes, stirring, until soft and beginning to brown at the edges. Add the minced garlic and cook 1 minute, then the 2 tablespoons tomato paste, sweet paprika, and smoked paprika. Cook, stirring, 2 to 3 minutes until the paste darkens to brick red and looks jammy — this sofrito is the backbone of the dish.
7. Add the rice and stir 1 to 2 minutes so every grain is coated in the sofrito. Whisk the squid ink into 1 cup of the hot stock until fully dissolved, then pour it into the pan along with 3 1/2 more cups of stock and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Stir once to distribute the rice in an even layer, return the seared squid to the pan, and bring to a boil.
8. Now stop stirring. Cook at a confident simmer over medium to medium-high heat for 10 minutes, rotating the skillet occasionally for even heat. Reduce to medium-low and cook 6 to 8 minutes more, until the liquid is nearly level with the rice. Taste a grain: it should be almost tender with a firm center.
9. Nestle the mussels or clams hinge-down into the rice and arrange the peeled shrimp on top. Cover the pan with a lid or foil and cook 5 to 6 minutes, until the shellfish open and the shrimp are opaque and just firm. Discard any shellfish that stay shut.
10. Uncover and listen: raise the heat to medium-high for 60 to 90 seconds until you hear a light crackling and smell toasted rice — that's the socarrat forming on the bottom. Pull the pan off the heat the moment it smells nutty, before it smells burnt. Cover loosely with a towel and rest 5 minutes.
11. Scatter with parsley and serve straight from the skillet with lemon wedges and a generous dollop of the cold garlic aioli on each portion — stir it into the hot rice as you eat so it emulsifies into a creamy black sauce.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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