Who knew Black Rice would be this Awesome?!

Ok, to most Canadians, this recipe might sound a bit gross. To most Spaniards, they will be licking their lips in anticipation of this dish :) Trust me, the Spaniards are right on this one. I had never cooked with ink before since it is not the typical thing to do in Canada but here it is popular. Calamares en su tinta (squid in its ink), black rice (arroz negro)... You can find black pasta in a few Italian restaurants back home or at the grocery store, so those that have tried it and liked it, will love this gem of a recipe. Adding the ink enhances the squid taste without overpowering it. Just delicious!

Black Rice is typical in Cataluñia and can be found in almost any typical restaurant in Barcelona. I had it for the first time with my parents back in September and loved it! So I decided to give it a try. Now, as you know, I have a picky eater to feed and I once made some black pasta (I loveeeeee black pasta with seafood) and he could not eat it. He even admits that the taste is good but the color just turns him off. Oh well... So black rice for me and normal rice for him :)

I used sepia for this recipe as it has a thicker body and makes for a nicer mix with the rice and ink. Sepia is called cuttlefish in English. This recipe is super easy and can really impress your guests!

Arroz Negro con Sepia y Gambas

Ingredients:

1 cuttlefish
1 onion
10 shrimps
2 garlic cloves
2 small ink bags
1 tsp paprika
2 cups rice
5 cups fish broth or water (the quantity really depends on your rice)
1/2 cup grounded tomatoes
1/2 cup of white wine
salt and pepper
oil

Cut cuttlefish into square small pieces. Dice the onion and garlic cloves as well.

In a large pan, heat oil. When ready, add the onion and garlic. Sweat for a few minutes.

Add the tomato sauce and white wine. Reduce.

Add the cuttlefish to the pan.

Add the rice and mix well to coat it. I removed some of the rice mixture and started another pan of rice without the ink for David.

When the rice is nicely coated, add the broth as well as the ink and paprika. I had two small bags of ink and thought it would not be enough when I started pouring it. God was I wrong! That thing is thick and realllllllyyyyy goes a long way.

Bring to a boil and cook for about 20 minutes until the rice is done.

Add the cooked shrimps, salt and pepper and mix well.

There you have it! A simple recipe full of Spanish flavor. :)

And here is David's plate, just for good measure for those iffy on the ink part ;)