After months of shelter-in-place, finally San Mateo County  is opened up for outdoor dining! We lost no time in making a reservation at one of our favorite haunts: LV Mar in Redwood City. I had my fix for margarita and a very flavorful seafood dish of Arroz con Marisco. What stood out to me is the usedm of black rice instead of regular white rice! The rice was grainy, nutty, and full of flavor. While this is an awesome dish, it it quite a strain on the wallet $$$ 💰. I have to recreate this dish in my kitchen…

This is a long and tedious recipe involving many steps. However, the time and patience is paid off with a very flavorful and colorful dish. Whenever we get to entertain again after the pandemic, this is definitely a dish to wow the guests.

Ingredients

For the seafood

• 1/2 pound mussels
• 2 lobster tail
• 1 pound head-on shrimp
• 1/2 pound scallops
• 1 lb halibut
• 1/2 cup seafood stock
• 3 Tbsp canola oil
• 3 Tbsp minced garlic
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 Tbsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp anchiote powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground pepper
• 1 bunch of cilantro, finely chopped

For the rice

• 2 cup black rice
• 2 Tbsp canola oil
• 2 Tbsp chopped onions
• 1 Tbsp minced garlic
• 2 1/2 cup seafood stock
• 1 package shimeiji mushrooms

Directions

Seafood and Seafood Stock

Steam Mussels

1. Prepare the mussels per instructions in Steamed Mussels.
2. Reserve the broth for seafood stock.

Steam Lobster

1. Clean the lobster under running water. Place the lobster in a heat resistant dish.
2. Steam the lobster for 5 to 6 minutes until the lobster meat is opaque and plump.
3. Save the juice from steaming the lobster, add to the broth collected from steaming the mussels.

Clean Shrimps

1. Run the shrimps under cool water.
2. Reserve a few larger shrimps in whole. Shell and devein the remaining shrimps. Reserve the heads and shell in a stock pot. Chill the whole and deveined shrimps in the refrigerator until ready to use.
3. Crush the shrimp heads and shells with a potato masher. Add 4 cups of water to the stock pot. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. 
4. Strain for the prawn broth and add to the mussel and lobster stock.

Pan seared Halibut

1. Rinse and pat dry halibut. Cut into 3/4 inch slices.
2. Sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides of each slice of halibut. Brush each slice with achiote marinade.
3. Melt 1 Tbsp of butter in a skillet over medium high heat.
4. Arrange the halibut slices in the skillet in a single layer.
5. Sear for 5 minutes, do not flip the halibut during this time.
6. Flip the slices over and sear on the other side for another 3-5 minutes.
7. Remove from the skillet and set aside.

Pan seared Scallop

1. Rinse and pat dry scallops.
2. Sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides of each scallop. Brush each scallop with achiote marinade.
3. Melt 1 Tbsp of butter in a skillet over medium high heat.
4. Arrange the scallop in the skillet in a single layer.
5. Sear for 1.5 to 2 minutes, do not flip the scallop during this time.p
6. Flip the scallop over and sear on the other side for another 1 minute.
7. Remove from the skillet and set aside.

Black Rice

1. Wash and rinse black rice. Drain well.
2. Heat 2 Tbsp of oil in a medium size pot over medium heat. Fry garlic and onion until softened and fragrant.
3. Add the black rice, stir to coat the rice with oil.
4. Add 2 1/2 cup of seafood stock, bring to a boil over high heat, continue to boil until the broth is gone.
5. Cover and reduce heat to low and simmer for another 15 – 20 minutes until the rice is tender but firm.
6. Fluff and set aside.

Arroz con Marisco

1. Clean and trim shimeiji mushroom. Set aside.
2. Heat 3 Tbsp of canola oil in a large stir-fry pan or dutch oven over medium high heat.
3. Add the chopped onions and minced garlic. Stir fry until softened and fragrant. About 5 minutes.
4. Add the shimeiji mushrooms. Stir fry for another minute.
5. Add the cumin, achiote powder, salt, pepper, diced bell pepper, and half of the chopped cilantro.
6. Add the whole shrimps. Stir fry for another minute. Add the deveined shrimps. Stir and cook for 3 minutes.
7. Stir in the cooked black rice and 1/2 cup seafood stock. Continue to stir  for another 5 minutes until the seafood is fully cooked.
8. Stir in the remaining chopped cilantro.
9. Divide rice into serving dishes. Top with mussels, lobster, scallops, and halibut.
10. Serve warm with cilantro sauce, Mexican grilled corn, and fried plantains.

Note: In our household, we can’t eat seafood without making chicken available on the table as well. I prepared Pollo Asada to go with the black rice. Even the non-seafood eater gave two thumbs up for the flavorful Arroz cooked in seafood stock 😉.