The first time most of my American friends taste this dish, they describe it as a brothy paella: rice, seafood, some tomato, a little spice and herb and enough broth to make it soul-satisfyingly soupy. At my house, everything for making arroz a la tumbada is always there, except, of course, the fish, shrimp and mussels or clams, which I insist on procuring the same day I make the dish. For me, the mussels or clams are pretty much a must: as they open in the pot of cooking rice, they release their beautiful seaside flavor, making the chicken broth taste like fish broth. I have on occasion doubled the mussels or clams and skipped the fish and shrimp altogether. Everything else is up for grabs. If either the shrimp or the fish isn't available (or doesn't look like something I want to eat), I replace whatever's MIA with more of the other. In just a few minutes more than it takes to cook a pot of rice, you can have a company-worthy dinner on the table, which is why this classic, Veracruz-style dish is one you should know by heart.
Make this Roasted Tomato Salsa first!
INGREDIENTS
- 2 tablespoons oil (olive oil tastes great here, but vegetable oil will do)
- 2 cups Roasted Tomato Salsa (recipe linked above)
- 1 cup rice (medium-grain gives the best texture, but long-grain is fine)
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 pound meaty, skinless fish fillet (mahimahi, halibut, sea bass and the like), cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 12 big mussels (about 6 ounces) or small clams (about 12 ounces), scrubbed, any beards pulled out
- A big sprig of epazote (if you have it)
- Salt
- 12 medium-large (about 8 ounces) shrimp, peeled and deveined if you wish
- About 1/2 cup chopped cilantro or flat-leaf parsley
- 1 or 2 limes, cut into wedges
INSTRUCTIONS
In a large (4-quart) saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high. When it's hot, scoop in the Roasted Tomato Salsa and stir it as it cooks down until the mixture starts looking shinier, about 5 minutes. (This fuses the flavors and enhances the sweetness of the tomatoes.) Add the rice and stir it slowly for 2 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pan so that nothing burns or sticks. Now it's time to add almost everything else: chicken broth, cubes of fish, mussels or small clams, and a big sprig of epazote. Taste and season with salt (usually about 1⁄2 teaspoon if the broth is salted, 1 teaspoon if it's not).
When the liquid comes to a simmer, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pot and set the timer for 15 minutes. When it goes off, taste a little of the rice: if it's still a little crunchy at the center, re-cover the pot and cook it for a few minutes longer, then test again.
When the rice is just barely cooked through, turn off the heat and gently stir in the shrimp. Re-cover the pot, set the timer for 5 minutes, then give the broth a taste and season it with a little more salt if necessary. Stir in the chopped cilantro or flat-leaf parsley. Ladle the mixture into big bowls and serve it with lime wedges for each person to squeeze on al gusto.
