Arròs negre
Jet-black rice cooked paella-style in a wide flat pan with squid, cuttlefish and the squid's own ink. Served with allioli on the side.
Arròs negre is the dark cousin of paella. Same pan, same logic, same final socarrat at the bottom, but the rice cooks in a fish stock blackened with squid ink. The squid or cuttlefish gets sliced and stirred in early on; the ink turns the whole pan glossy black within minutes. The finished dish is dramatic to look at and surprisingly subtle to taste, the ink adding a mineral, briny depth without much fish flavour of its own. A bowl of allioli arrives alongside; a spoonful per portion is the standard finishing move.
How it's served
Straight from the pan to the table with allioli on the side. The diner spoons allioli over each portion as it's served. Eat from the rim inward; the socarrat at the bottom is the last and best bite.
Regional variation
The Catalan arròs negre is the most common version, served on the Costa Brava and across Barcelona. The Valencian arròs amb tinta is structurally the same dish under a different name. Italian risotto al nero uses the same ink in a different cooking format.
- Origin
- Catalan and Valencian Mediterranean coast
- Etymology
- Catalan for 'black rice.' The Castilian Spanish version is arroz negro.
- Also called
- arroz negro
Where to try it in Barcelona
6 restaurants on Guidavera mention arròs negre in their kitchen description.
Frequently asked
What is arròs negre?
A Catalan and Valencian rice dish cooked in a wide flat paella pan with squid, cuttlefish and the squid's own ink. The ink turns the whole pan jet black. Served with allioli on the side and finished with the same toasted-bottom socarrat as a paella.
Is arròs negre the same as paella?
Same technique, different dish. Both cook rice in a wide flat pan over fire with a soffrito base and a finishing socarrat. Arròs negre uses squid ink instead of saffron and seafood instead of the rabbit-and-snails Valencian original. Whether it counts as 'paella' depends on who you ask.
Does arròs negre taste fishy?
Less than you'd expect. The ink adds a mineral, briny depth more than a strong fish flavour. The dominant taste is the toasted rice, the squid and the smoky pan. Most first-timers say the colour scares them more than the flavour does.
Related terms
- PaellaValencian rice dish cooked in a wide flat pan over fire. The original is chicken, rabbit, snails and beans, not seafood.
- SocarratThe crackly, caramelized layer of rice stuck to the bottom of a paella pan. The bit most diners reach for first.
- AllioliPungent Catalan emulsion of garlic and olive oil. Traditionally no egg. Eaten with grilled meats, paella and fish.
- En su tintaCooked in its own ink. Used for squid, cuttlefish and baby cuttlefish, which turn the sauce jet black.
- FideuàA Valencian paella made with short, hollow noodles instead of rice. Comes with allioli on the side.