It has many names: arroz al senyoret, arroz del senyoret, paella del senyoret, or even arroz del señorito. Whatever you call it, it's a very popular dish on the Alicante coast and throughout Valencia, a culinary gem that wins you over with its flavor and the convenience of eating it without getting your hands dirty.
In this article we tell you what arroz al senyoret is, its origin, what ingredients it contains and how we prepare it in The Paellerso you can cook our recipe step by step at home.
And if you don't want to prepare it from scratch—cleaning the fish, making the stock, and assembling everything—you can take our prepared pack of arroz al senyoretIn 18 minutes you'll have it ready, with all the flavor of the sea, and you can surprise your guests like a great chef.
What is arroz al senyoret?
Arroz al senyoret is essentially a seafood paella. Its name comes from the fact that all the seafood ingredients—shrimp, squid, fish—are served already peeled and cleaned, so that the "gentleman" doesn't have to get his hands dirty while eating it.
Its origins lie with the wealthy families of the Levantine coast, where fish and shellfish were cooked already cleaned to make them easier to eat. Over time, these seafood and brothy rice dishes were adapted to a dry format, similar to paella, using fish and shellfish stock to concentrate the flavor.
Today, arroz al senyoret is one of the most requested dishes in restaurants throughout Valencia, both by locals and tourists, because of the convenience of eating it effortlessly and with all the flavor of the sea.
And now, let's go to reveal how we prepare it at El Paeller so you can do it at home too.
Ingredients of senyoret rice
First, we'll tell you what you need, because to get a arroz al senyoret like ours, you can't just use any broth or any seafood.
In The Paeller We start with a broth cooked over a wood fire, made with water, mantis shrimp, small fish, salmorreta —that Mediterranean mixture of tomato, garlic and sweet paprika—, extra virgin olive oil, crab, prawn heads or alistado, onion, leek, carrot and salt.
To this base we add squid (baby squid) and prawns, which contribute their sweetness and texture, and of course a good rice, which acts as a canvas for all these flavors to blend perfectly.
And if you want to take it a step further, add your personal touch with fresh ingredients like squid or prawns. That little extra will make all the difference and give your arroz al senyoret your own unique style.
How to prepare arroz al senyoret step by step
With our pack of rice al senyoret You only need 18 minutes. Inside you'll find everything you need for 2 or 3 servings, depending on your appetite: broth, sofrito, fish, and rice.
Step 1. Prepare the paella
Take a 34cm paella pan and pour in the broth with the sofrito, which already includes all the fish.
Step 2. Bring to a boil
Turn the heat to high until the broth comes to a boil.
Step 3. Add the rice
When it boils, pour in the rice and spread it evenly throughout the paella. Important: Do not stir it during the entire cooking process.
Step 4.Cook over high heat
Keep the heat on high for 10 minutes and adjust the salt if you think it's necessary.
Step 5. Continue over medium heat
Lower the heat to medium and let it cook for another 7 minutes, always maintaining a constant and even boil.
Step 6. The finishing touch
Finally, turn the heat up to high for 1 minute or until the broth has completely evaporated.
Step 7. The table is now at rest
Turn off the heat, let it rest for three minutes... then eat.
What if you don't have our pack?
If you don't have our kit, the process is very similar, but you'll need to add a few extra steps: clean all the fish and prepare the stock and the sofrito. In this article, we explain how to make our fish fumet.
After that, you just have to follow the instructions above and in no time you'll have your arroz al senyoret ready to enjoy.
Tips for achieving the perfect arroz al senyoret
If you've made it this far, you already know everything you need to prepare a truly cinematic arroz al senyoret. Before you get started, remember these key points:
- Use a good broth: It's the soul of the dish. If it's cooked over a wood fire, even better.
- Respect the timings: high heat at the beginning so that the rice absorbs flavor, medium heat so that it cooks evenly and a final blast for the socarrat.
- Don't stir the riceThis way it will be loose and have the perfect texture.
- Adjust salt to taste: always better in the end.
And if you want to save time without sacrificing flavor, our pack of rice al senyoret It's your best ally. In 18 minutes you'll have a paella on the table that will surprise everyone, with everything peeled and ready so that you're the only "gentleman"... but transformed into the chef who has won over his guests.
If you'd like to try some of our other products, we recommend you try:
- Prepared Valencian paella
- Duck and mushroom dish
- Black rice preparation
- Preparation of Iberian Ribs and Roasted Peppers
- Baked rice preparation
- Vegan paella mix
- Fideuà preparation
