Spanish Calamari Rice (Arroz con Calamares) Recipe

Clean the squid thoroughly and cut them into rings. Use the tentacles, but be sure to remove the eye. Peel and finely chop the onion and garlic. Cut the pepper into small pieces.

Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a heavy-bottomed large frying pan. Sauté the onion and garlic over medium heat. When the onion is golden, add the red pepper and continue to sauté, stirring often, for about 5 minutes.

While the onion mixture is sautéing, heat the fish stock in a saucepan, but do not boil the stock.

Add the squid pieces to the onion mixture and sauté for three to four minutes. Add the rice to the frying pan and stir to coat the rice with oil. Add more oil if needed and “toast” rice for about 2 minutes on medium heat, being careful not to burn it.

Pour in fish stock, saffron, and stir. Add salt and pepper to taste. Simmer until the rice is cooked. Add optional peas after the rice is cooked. They do add some color and nutritional value to the dish.

Some Spanish families prefer "soupy" rice and will serve this sort of dish with broth. If you'd like this to be more of a soup than a drier rice dish, add a bit more fish stock to the pan just before the rice is finished cooking. Otherwise, keep it as is, as a less soupy version.

Remove the dish from the heat and serve.