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Arroz Negro

Name: Arroz Negro
Prep time: 30 min
Total time: 50 min
Cuisine: Spanish
Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups short-grain Calasparra; 1 lb squid, cleaned and sliced; 4 squid ink sachets (about 1 oz total); 8 large prawns, shell-on; 1 onion, finely diced; 4 cloves garlic, minced; 2 tomatoes, grated; 3 tbsp olive oil; 4 cups fish broth; 1 tsp sweet paprika; salt to taste; 1/2 cup aioli (to serve)

Arroz Negro reads umami 7.0, richness 5.5 and marine & briny 5.1 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Spanish main, about 50 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

Umami & Savory — 8.0 / 10
Sweet & Fruity — 2.3 / 10
Sour & Bright — 1.9 / 10
Bitter & Earthy — 1.3 / 10
Rich & Fat — 5.7 / 10
Aromatic & Spice — 4.3 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Umami 7.0 · Richness 5.5 · Marine & Briny 5.1 · Salinity 4.2 · Allium 4.1 · Sourness 1.8 · Fruity 1.8 · Sweetness 1.7 · Herbaceous 1.2 · Bitterness 1.1 · Earthy 0.9 · Nutty 0.9 · Warm Spice 0.8

What's in it (12)

1 1/2 cups short-grain Calasparra
1 lb squid, cleaned and sliced
4 squid ink sachets (about 1 oz total)
8 large prawns, shell-on
1 onion, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tomatoes, grated
3 tbsp olive oil
4 cups fish broth
1 tsp sweet paprika
salt to taste
1/2 cup aioli (to serve)

Time & effort: about 50 min (30 min active) · effort: medium

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 138.3 kcal, 11.3 g protein, 4.2 g fat, 14.1 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat · Contains seafood — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (3 steps)

Sauté onion and garlic, add cleaned squid pieces and cook until tender, then stir in tomato and paprika.
Add rice, pour in fish broth mixed with squid ink, and cook in a wide pan without stirring until the rice has absorbed the liquid and turned jet black.
Arrange prawns on top for the last few minutes and serve with aioli.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

Pempek (Palembang Fish Cake) — Indonesian
Cazuela de Mariscos — Argentine
Txangurro a la Donostiarra — Basque · Hegoalde (Spain)
Shrimp Étouffée — Cajun/Creole
Seafood Gumbo with Okra and Crab — Cajun/Creole · Creole

Keep reading: what umami, richness, marine & briny mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.