Arroz a banda

Alicante and Valencia coast

Rice cooked aside — a banda means 'on the side' — and the fish cooked in the same stock, which are served as two separate courses. The rice (arroz) is made by cooking bomba rice in a concentrated fish stock (a fumet built from fish heads, carcasses, and shellfish) until the socarrat forms; the fish that made the stock is served separately with alioli. The rice itself is the main event. Arroz a banda was born from the humble Valencian fishing tradition where the poor parts of the catch (the heads and frames) were cooked to make stock, the rice was cooked in that stock and served to the fishermen, and the actual fish was a secondary — a banda — alongside.

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