Caldero murciano

Ingredients

Tap an ingredient to tick it off.

• 400 g bomba rice

• 2 l water or fish stock

• 1.5 to 2 kg mixed rockfish (mullet, scorpionfish, sea bream, small fish), with heads

• 200 g prawns or langoustines

• 400 g ripe tomatoes

• 6 garlic cloves

• 4 dried ñora peppers

• A few saffron threads

• Parsley

• Extra virgin olive oil

• Salt

• Alioli, to serve

Preparation

1. 01Fry the ñoras and the headsIn the caldero with hot oil, fry the ñoras until soft and remove them. In the same oil, brown the fish heads to give flavour.
2. 02Make the sofritoAdd the chopped tomato and cook about 5 minutes until it loses its water.
3. 03Prepare the paste and the stockCrush the fried ñoras with several raw garlic cloves into a paste. Add it to the pot, pour in the hot water and boil for about 5 minutes.
4. 04Cook the fishPoach the thick fish slices in that stock for a few minutes, until done. Remove and set aside.
5. 05Add the riceStrain the stock if you like, bring it to a boil with the saffron and add the rice. Cook it about 20 minutes, adding the prawns towards the end. The rice should be slightly brothy.
6. 06Serve in partsLet the rice rest a few minutes. Traditionally the fish is served on one plate with a little stock and garlic, and the rice on another, with alioli.

Variations

• The fish depends on the day's catch: small mixed fish, mullet, scorpionfish, sea bream or, in the Real Academia de Gastronomía recipe, mullet, grouper, sea bream and monkfish.
• The serving order varies by source: some serve the fish first and then the rice; others serve the rice first and the fish with its stock afterwards.