Black Rice with Tuna Belly and Saffron Aioli

Squid-ink Albufera rice with crispy socarrat, silky ventresca, and a cold saffron aioli

Arroz negro rebuilt around the most luxurious tinned fish on the Cantabrian coast. The rice cooks to a deep mahogany socarrat, then comes off the heat and gets dressed — cold, pink, translucent slices of Bonito del Norte ventresca draped over the pan, just barely wilting from the residual heat. The contrast is the whole point: hot and cold, black and pink, crunch and fat. The saffron aioli is served on the side, one spoonful per portion, and the rice is brought to the table in the pan it was cooked in.

Ingredients

Premium Albufera Rice for Paella. 2.2lb (1kg)
Bonito del Norte Belly Tuna “Ventresca” fillets from Bermeo, Spain. 4 oz.
Spanish Premium Saffron for Paella. 5 single-dose packs.
Award-winning Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Picual 500ml.
Hand-Harvested "Fleur de Sel" Salt from Ibiza | 5.3 oz Ceramic Pot
Spain's First Wood-Fired Seafood Broth for Paella (1L)

Preparation

Make the fumet: simmer 1 quart fish or shellfish stock with a halved shallot, a bay leaf and 3 saffron threads for 15 minutes. Keep hot. Or buy Iberico Club's wood-fired seafood broth.
Rub 1 clove of garlic into 1/2 cup of good mayonnaise. Bloom 3 saffron threads in 1 tsp warm water, 5 minutes, then stir into the aioli with a squeeze of lemon. Chill.
In a paella pan, warm 3 tbsp Picual EVOO. Sweat 1 diced shallot and 2 cloves garlic until translucent.
Add 1 1/2 cups Albufera rice, toast 1 minute. Add 1 tbsp squid ink, stir to coat.
Add hot fumet (2 1/2 cups), season, and do not stir again. Cook 10 minutes on medium, then 8 minutes on low to develop socarrat.
Rest off heat, covered with a clean cloth, 3 minutes.
Drain 1 jar (4 oz) of Ventresca, keeping the fillets intact. Using a fork, separate into loose, generous flakes — do not chop.
Drape the ventresca across the surface of the rice in uneven waves. The heat from the rice will soften the fat of the tuna belly but not cook it through — that is the texture you want.
Finish with a charred lemon wedge, torn parsley, flake salt, and a thread of fresh Picual. Serve the saffron aioli on the side, one spoonful per portion.