José Pizarro’s recipe for smoked pimentón clam rice with chorizo and roast peppers

We Spaniards eat a lot of rice whatever the season, not least because it’s both versatile and moreish. For today’s recipe, I’d recommend using bomba, a short-grain variety that’s ideal for this type of cooking. And while you could roast regular red peppers, I actually prefer jarred roast piquillos in this dish – they’re a great store-cupboard standby, and much sweeter. Clams and chorizo are a match made in heaven, with the sweetness of the shellfish dancing beautifully with the spicy smokiness of the sausage. Clams are hugely popular in Spain, where they are also good value, but you could use mussels instead, seeing as they’re much more affordable in the UK.

Smoked pimentón clam rice with chorizo and roast peppers

To purge the clams of any grit, soak them in heavily salted, cold water for 20 minutes, then drain and soak again in fresh cold water for 10 minutes more.

Prep 10 min
Cook 25 min
Serves 4-6

3 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
100g fresh chorizo, diced
3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely sliced
1 tsp smoked sweet pimentón
1 x 220g jar piquillo peppers, drained and thinly sliced
350g bomba rice, or calasparra or paella rice
200ml dry white wine
800-900ml fresh chicken stock, or shellfish stock, provided it’s a good one
Salt and black pepper
500g clams, cleaned
1 big handful picked flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped

Heat the oil in a shallow casserole dish and gently fry the onion for 10 minutes. Add the chorizo, fry for three or four minutes, then stir in the garlic and pimentón and cook, stirring, for a minute longer.

Add the peppers and rice, stir to coat, then pour in the wine and leave to bubble and reduce for two minutes. Add 800ml stock, season generously, then bring to a boil. Turn down the heat to low and leave to cook at a gentle simmer for 12 minutes, without stirring, until the rice is almost tender but still retains some bite.

Add the clams and an extra splash of stock, if you think it needs it, cover and cook on a medium-high heat for four to five minutes, until all the clams are open (discard any that do not) and the rice is just starting to catch on the bottom of the pan. Scatter with lots of parsley and serve at once with some good crusty bread.