Region: Spain, Valencia
Category: Rice, Couscous, and Other Grains
Difficulty: Labor Intensive
Arròs a banda is a very old preparation from Valencia. As with so many dishes, it begins with a sofregit, like the Italian soffritto, a mixture of onions, garlic, and other ingredients sautéed in olive oil before the addition of the remaining ingredients; in this case, a rich fish broth is added to be absorbed by the rice. A banda means “apart” in Valencian, meaning the rice is served first and apart from the fish, which is served as a second course. It is traditionally served with allioli, a pungent garlic mayonnaise.
