Rice with monkfish or Tamboril. Portuguese recipe

How to prepare a traditional rice with monkfish or Tamboril rice . In my land Galicia eats very well, thanks to the good product we have and the know-how of the cooks.

In addition to ours, what we also adore is Portuguese cuisine . We have it a few kilometers away and a visit to the neighboring country is always welcome to enjoy its gastronomy. Everyone there says that in Portugal they eat very well and cheaply, and it is easy to check it, all their rice recipes are a guaranteed success.

I confess to myself that I am in love with traditional Portuguese dishes, such as rice, cod, seafood stews such as the seafood cataplana, frango (chicken) or its famous desserts.

That’s why I can’t stop introducing you to another of their most famous dishes, Tamboril Rice , which we can find all over the country. The main ingredient of this recipe is the tamboril or monkfish , accompanied by some other seafood, such as shrimp, prawns, shrimp, etc … on some occasions I have also tried it with squid, squid or octopus. On the blog we have our Galician version of this monkfish rice , which I also encourage you to prepare.

Generally it is prepared as soupy rice, and they are usually served very hot on the table, in an earthenware dish, although in this case for home tastes we have prepared it with less broth, a sweet rice.

To make this dish we have opted for a round grain rice that helps us control the recipe without problems. Cooking with a trusted brand with which we always succeed, Sabroz rice .

Anyway, being such a widespread dish, you can find it in different preparations, with the touch or variant of each cook. If you want soupy rice, you need a short-grain rice, such as round, pearly-colored Portuguese carolino rice, which needs 4 to 5 parts of broth for each part of rice. It is a forceful and comforting dish, do not miss it.  

Preparation of the fish broth

1. We are going to prepare a good quality fish stock or broth , as it will be part of the recipe’s success. Peel the prawns, reserving the tails for later and with the heads for the broth.
2. Peel the tail of the monkfish, separate the loins and keep the central spine also for the fumet.
3. In a large saucepan, fry the prawn heads until they are taking color.
4. Pour 1.5 liters of hot water and add the monkfish thorn. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, salt to taste and cook (with the pot covered) for about 30/40 minutes.

Preparation of the base of this monkfish or tamboril rice

1. Chop the onions, peppers and tomatoes in “brunoise”. Peel the garlic cloves and chop them finely. The monkfish loins are also chopped into portions or large dice.
2. In Portugal very characteristic aluminum casseroles are used in many places but we recommend that if you can, you make the rice in a cauldron or cast iron casserole.
3. You can also make it in a clay pot, it was like I tried it for the first time a few years ago. At home we use a wide and flat saucepan. We pour a good jet of extra virgin olive oil.
4. Fry the garlic, and then add the peppers, onion and tomatoes.
5. Add salt to taste, add the bay leaf and cook over medium heat for 15 minutes, so that the vegetables are poached.
6. We raise the fire, add the monkfish in pieces and the tails of the prawns. We mark on both sides and lightly salt them.
7. When we talk about amounts of liquid for a rice we must take into account the type of preparation.
8. A dry rice is usually 2 and a half parts of broth for each rice. A syrupy rice, 3 parts of broth for each rice. And a broth rice, between 4 to 5 parts of broth for each rice.

Cooking the rice and final presentation of the rice with monkfish

1. We pour 1 liter and a half of fish broth, hot. When it begins to boil, we lower the heat and add the rice, which we distribute evenly.
2. We have used Carolino rice that belongs to the Japanese species and is the oldest rice in traditional Portuguese cuisine, although if you do not find it, it is best to substitute it for bomba rice.
3. We cook 15 minutes. We try the rice and the broth, in case you need a little more cooking or rectify the salt. Let it rest for about 10 minutes.
4. We serve hot on the table and as a final touch we add some fresh coriander leaves. Since it has a very peculiar flavor, if you don’t like it, you can substitute it with a touch of fresh parsley.
5. The rest that I usually recommend in dry rice in this type of broth rice preparation is not necessary.
6. In broth rices (which have a lot of hot broth) it is not necessary to do it, since the rice is already in its place at the end of the recipe and runs the risk of overdoing it.

You can see all the photos of the step by step recipe for monkfish rice or Tamboril rice   in this album. Do not miss any detail and it will be perfect.

Tips for a fluffy monkfish rice

• In general, this rice usually becomes past rice within 10 minutes of doing so. So immediately serve it at the table and eat.
• Rice is an almost essential element in Portuguese gastronomy. They will always offer it to accompany any dish, as a garnish.
• We could tour Portugal from north to south, eating different rice dishes every day, adapted to the products and recipes of each area of ​​the country.
• If you are in Galicia and you are going to Portugal, I recommend the coast that descends from Caminha, at the mouth of the Río Miño. You will find fishing villages like Moledo, Vila Praia de Âncora, Afife … They are ideal to enjoy a pleasant day and perceive the authentic Portuguese spirit.
• Dotting the coast there are many restaurants, right on the beach, that offer typical specialties and of course, Arroz con Tamboril . They are usually very generous with the portions. If you order for 2 people, you can surely eat up to four people.
• This recipe for cauldron rice is one that I usually order when I go to a restaurant in Portugal. We have prepared it at home and here are our secrets to get it delicious. Although the best trick is to use quality ingredients where the stars are monkfish and coriander.
• In yummy recipes we are lovers of Portugal and its cuisine, the success of Portuguese cuisine is undoubted, in recipes such as golden cod  ,  Belem cakes  or  Bacalhau à Gomes de Sá … although we will publish more and more, passion for our neighboring country.