Mexican · Veracruz · main

Arroz a la Tumbada

Name: Arroz a la Tumbada
Prep time: 40 min
Total time: 45 min
Cuisine: Mexican · Veracruz
Ingredients: white rice — 300 g; olive oil — 55 g; white onion — 180 g; garlic — 15 g; tomatoes — 600 g; chipotles en adobo — 200 g; shrimp stock — 1200 g; shrimp — 300 g; crabs — 400 g; clams — 300 g; robalo — 300 g; epazote — 2 g; dried mexican oregano — 1 g; bay leaf — 1 g; salt — 10 g; limes — 130 g

Arroz a la Tumbada reads umami 5.7, marine & briny 5.2 and citrus 4.3 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Mexican · Veracruz main, about 45 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

Umami & Savory — 6.6 / 10
Sweet & Fruity — 2.3 / 10
Sour & Bright — 5.5 / 10
Bitter & Earthy — 1.0 / 10
Rich & Fat — 3.9 / 10
Aromatic & Spice — 3.5 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Umami 5.7 · Marine & Briny 5.2 · Citrus 4.3 · Salinity 4.3 · Sourness 3.9 · Richness 3.6 · Allium 3.4 · Sweetness 1.8 · Fruity 1.6 · Nutty 0.9 · Bitterness 0.9 · Herbaceous 0.8 · Warm Spice 0.7 · Earthy 0.7

What's in it (16)

white rice — 300 g
olive oil — 55 g
white onion — 180 g
garlic — 15 g
tomatoes — 600 g
chipotles en adobo — 200 g
shrimp stock — 1200 g
shrimp — 300 g
crabs — 400 g
clams — 300 g
robalo — 300 g
epazote — 2 g
dried mexican oregano — 1 g
bay leaf — 1 g
salt — 10 g
limes — 130 g

Time & effort: about 45 min (40 min active) · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 77.4 kcal, 10.9 g protein, 0.4 g fat, 7.5 g carbs

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

How it's cooked (7 steps)

Tumbada means tumbled or knocked over, and it describes the texture: this rice stays loose and brothy, nothing like the dry grains of arroz rojo. If it sets up firm you have gone too far.
Fry the drained rice in the olive oil over medium heat 5 minutes, stirring, until the grains turn chalky white and smell toasted.
Add the onion and garlic and cook 4 minutes until soft, then pour in the strained tomato and the chipotle and let it fry hard 8 minutes, until it darkens to brick and the oil separates.
Pour in the stock with the oregano and bay, bring it to a boil and simmer uncovered 12 minutes — the rice should still have a chalky centre at this point.
Lay in the crab and clams and cook 6 minutes, until the clams begin to gape, then the shrimp and fish for a final 5 minutes. Everything goes in by how long it takes, largest first.
Add the epazote, season, and let it sit off the heat 5 minutes. Serve in deep bowls with plenty of broth and lime to squeeze over.
Substitutions: fish stock can stand in for the shrimp stock; other firm white fish can stand in for the robalo.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

Sardinhas Grelhadas — Portuguese
She-Crab Soup — Southern · Lowcountry
Rissóis de Camarão — Portuguese
Bobo de Camarao — Brazilian
Shrimp Scampi with Linguine — Italian-American

Keep reading: what umami, marine & briny, citrus 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.