Moroccan · Seafood
Nador Rif Seafood Rice
From the Rif's Mediterranean coast around Nador comes a soupy, saffron-stained seafood rice — Spanish-influenced from the nearby enclave but seasoned the Moroccan way with chermoula, cumin and preserved lemon. Prawns, mussels and firm fish are folded through rice cooked in their own briny stock, somewhere between a paella and a wet pilaf.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 35 min
- Total
- 60 min
- Serves
- 4
- Level
- Medium
Ingredients
- 300 g paella or short-grain rice
- 300 g prawns, shell on
- 400 g mussels, cleaned
- 300 g firm white fish, chunked
- 1 onion, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 tomatoes, grated
- 1/2 tsp saffron
- 3 tbsp chermoula
- 1/2 preserved lemon, chopped
- 900 ml fish or seafood stock, hot
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- Salt and pepper
Method
- 1
Build the base
Soften the onion and garlic in olive oil, add the tomato and saffron, and cook to a thick sofrito.
- 2
Season
Stir in the chermoula and preserved lemon.
- 3
Add rice
Add the rice and toss to coat in the oil and spices for a minute.
- 4
Simmer
Pour in the hot stock, season, and simmer 15 minutes without stirring much, until the rice is nearly done.
- 5
Add seafood
Nestle in the fish, prawns and mussels, cover, and cook 8–10 minutes until the mussels open and the prawns turn pink.
- 6
Rest and serve
Rest 5 minutes, discard any unopened mussels, and serve from the pan.
Chef's tips
- Keep it slightly wet — Nador's version is soupier than a dry paella.
- Discard any mussels that stay shut after cooking.
- Homemade chermoula makes a real difference to the depth of flavour.
Frequently asked questions
Why is Rif food Spanish-influenced?
The Rif coast sits opposite Spain and beside the enclaves of Melilla and Ceuta, so Spanish techniques like rice cookery blended with Moroccan spicing over centuries of contact.
Can I use just prawns?
Yes — a single seafood works fine. A mix simply gives more varied texture and a richer stock.