Black Rice with Crispy Squid and Parsley Aioli

45 mins

4 people

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

30 mins

Total Time

45 mins

Squid ink rice dishes are very popular in Spain. They work really well when served with king prawns, fresh squid or roasted fish such as monkfish or turbot. In this dish I also use tiny baby squid, which is also a very popular ingredient in Southern Spanish cuisine. They are called ‘chopitos’ or ‘puntillitas’ depending where you are. They tend to be very small, so the best way of serving them is to coat them in harina de freir, a special Spanish frying flour and quickly fry them until golden brown. This recipe shows you how to cook the black rice as a risotto dish, adding the stock ladle after ladle until the rice is cooked al dente. The earthy flavour of the black rice pairs really well with the crunchy fried squid pieces and the herby aioli. The vibrant colours of this dish will also impress any dinner guests.

Ingredients
Method

For the black rice:
2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
50g unsalted butter
3 banana shallots, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
200g fresh baby squid, gutted, cleaned and finely chopped
400g bomba rice
1 litre of fish stock
125ml dry white wine
1 tbsp of squid ink
Salt
For the fried squid:
100g fresh baby squid
Harina de freir (Spanish frying flour)
Salt
For the parsley aioli:
3 cloves of garlic, peeled
2 free-range egg yolks
1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard
1 tablespoons of white wine vinegar
½ lemon
300ml olive oil or rapeseed oil
½ cup of flat leaf parsley leaves, blanched for 2 minutes in boiling water, cooled down and finely chopped
Sea salt

Prepare the baby squid for frying by separating the head from the body. Remove the feather cartilage and any other gunk you come into contact with. Wash the body under cold running water. Cut the head away from the tentacles by slicing just under the eyes (discard the head) and push out the beak from the middle of the tentacles. Stuff the tentacles into each baby squid and set aside.
For the parsley aioli, finely chop the garlic cloves with a pinch of salt until you make a puree, set aside. Whisk the egg yolks in a bowl, then add the mustard and whisk together. Gradually add about half the oil, very slowly at first, whisking continuously for around 3 to 5 minutes, or until thickened. Once you’ve added about half the oil, whisk in 1 tablespoon of vinegar – this will loosen the mixture slightly and give it a paler colour. Continue to gradually add the remaining oil, whisking continuously. Season the aioli with salt, a squeeze of lemon juice and a little more vinegar, if needed. Add the chopped garlic and parsley and mix well.
To make the black rice, heat one tablespoon of the oil in a wide sauce pan. Once the oil is hot, add the chopped squid and fry for about 2 minutes until lightly brown, remove from the pan. In the same pan, heat the remaining oil and butter, add the shallots and garlic and fry very slowly for about 5 minutes or until soft and translucent. Add the squid and rice and fry on a gentle heat until the rice is slightly translucent. Add the dry white wine and keep stirring. Once the white wine has cooked into the rice, add your first ladle of hot fish stock and a good pinch of salt. Turn down the heat to a simmer so the rice doesn’t cook too quickly on the outside. Add the squid ink and keep adding ladles of stock, allowing each ladleful to be absorbed before adding the next. This will take around 15 minutes. Taste the rice — is it cooked? Carry on adding stock until the rice is soft but with a slight bite. Don’t forget to check the seasoning carefully. Remove the black rice from the heat, place a lid on the pan and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Whilst the rice is resting, heat some oil in a shallow frying pan. On a plate, roll the baby squid in the frying flour until every piece is coated. Fry in the hot oil until golden brown, about 3 minutes.
To serve the dish, spoon some of the black rice on a plate or bowl, scatter some of the fried squid pieces and drizzle some of the parsley aioli.

Ingredients

For the black rice:
2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
50g unsalted butter
3 banana shallots, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
200g fresh baby squid, gutted, cleaned and finely chopped
400g bomba rice
1 litre of fish stock
125ml dry white wine
1 tbsp of squid ink
Salt
For the fried squid:
100g fresh baby squid
Harina de freir (Spanish frying flour)
Salt
For the parsley aioli:
3 cloves of garlic, peeled
2 free-range egg yolks
1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard
1 tablespoons of white wine vinegar
½ lemon
300ml olive oil or rapeseed oil
½ cup of flat leaf parsley leaves, blanched for 2 minutes in boiling water, cooled down and finely chopped
Sea salt

Method

Prepare the baby squid for frying by separating the head from the body. Remove the feather cartilage and any other gunk you come into contact with. Wash the body under cold running water. Cut the head away from the tentacles by slicing just under the eyes (discard the head) and push out the beak from the middle of the tentacles. Stuff the tentacles into each baby squid and set aside.
For the parsley aioli, finely chop the garlic cloves with a pinch of salt until you make a puree, set aside. Whisk the egg yolks in a bowl, then add the mustard and whisk together. Gradually add about half the oil, very slowly at first, whisking continuously for around 3 to 5 minutes, or until thickened. Once you’ve added about half the oil, whisk in 1 tablespoon of vinegar – this will loosen the mixture slightly and give it a paler colour. Continue to gradually add the remaining oil, whisking continuously. Season the aioli with salt, a squeeze of lemon juice and a little more vinegar, if needed. Add the chopped garlic and parsley and mix well.
To make the black rice, heat one tablespoon of the oil in a wide sauce pan. Once the oil is hot, add the chopped squid and fry for about 2 minutes until lightly brown, remove from the pan. In the same pan, heat the remaining oil and butter, add the shallots and garlic and fry very slowly for about 5 minutes or until soft and translucent. Add the squid and rice and fry on a gentle heat until the rice is slightly translucent. Add the dry white wine and keep stirring. Once the white wine has cooked into the rice, add your first ladle of hot fish stock and a good pinch of salt. Turn down the heat to a simmer so the rice doesn’t cook too quickly on the outside. Add the squid ink and keep adding ladles of stock, allowing each ladleful to be absorbed before adding the next. This will take around 15 minutes. Taste the rice — is it cooked? Carry on adding stock until the rice is soft but with a slight bite. Don’t forget to check the seasoning carefully. Remove the black rice from the heat, place a lid on the pan and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Whilst the rice is resting, heat some oil in a shallow frying pan. On a plate, roll the baby squid in the frying flour until every piece is coated. Fry in the hot oil until golden brown, about 3 minutes.
To serve the dish, spoon some of the black rice on a plate or bowl, scatter some of the fried squid pieces and drizzle some of the parsley aioli.

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Chef's Profile

Javier De La Hormaza

Javier is a Basque born, trained chef and hospitality professional, owner of Basco Fine Foods, a Spanish food and drink importer based in Yorkshire. He regularly runs client food and drink events around the country and he is a course tutor at Hartingtons of Bakewell cookery school. Javier's passion lies on bringing quality Spanish ingredients and recipes to as many people as possible.

Twitter: @bascofinefoods
Instagram: @mrbasco