Arroz con gambas y calamar

A hearty Spanish seafood built around raw king prawns, saffron and paella rice — roughly 75 minutes start to finish, and rated medium to make. Below: the ingredients split into pantry staples and a quick shopping list, a built-in serving scaler, and the method in 10 steps.
You'll mainly reach for frying pan / skillet and pan. At medium difficulty across 10 steps, it's manageable with a little attention. As written, it's pescatarian — fish but no meat.
What you'll need
Shopping list (5)
Pantry staples (you likely have these)
🔁 Unit converter
How to make it
- Peel and devein most of the prawns (a fishmonger should be able to do this for you), keeping a few whole for decoration, if you like.
- Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan or shallow flameproof casserole over a medium-low heat and fry the onion for 5 mins until softened.
- Add the bay leaf, saffron, rice and tomato purée, and cook for 1-2 mins more, stirring.
- Pour in the wine and bubble for 1-2 mins, then pour in the seafood stock and 150ml water.
- Cook for 5 mins, then add the squid, season well and stir to combine.
- Bring to the boil, then cover and reduce the heat to a gentle simmer.
- Cook for 12 mins more, adding a little more water if the mixture starts to look dry.
- Uncover the pan and stir through the peeled prawns, then arrange any whole prawns on top of the rice mixture.
- Cover again and simmer for a further 5-6 mins until the prawns are pink and cooked through.
- Leave to stand for a couple of minutes before serving from the pan.
You'll use: Frying pan / skillet · Pan · Saucepan
Watch how it's made

Hosted on YouTube — pressing play loads content from YouTube.
Ingredient substitutions
- White Wine
- chicken or vegetable stock + 1 tsp vinegar
What to serve with Arroz con gambas y calamar
- Spanish Tortilla Vegetarian
- Roast fennel and aubergine paella Vegan
- Migas Miscellaneous
- Spiced tortilla Vegetarian
Tips & common questions
How long does Arroz con gambas y calamar take to make?
About 75 minutes from start to finish — an estimate based on the 10 steps and 10 ingredients. Times vary with your kitchen and how much prep you do ahead.
What can I use instead of white wine?
Try chicken or vegetable stock + 1 tsp vinegar. See the substitutions section above for more swaps.
Can I scale this recipe up or down?
Yes — use the servings control above the ingredients and every quantity rescales automatically (fractions included). Cooking times stay roughly the same; very large batches may need a little longer.
How should I store leftovers?
Cool leftovers quickly, refrigerate in an airtight container, and eat within 3 days. Reheat until piping hot throughout.
Recipe data for Arroz con gambas y calamar via TheMealDB (open database). ▶ Video. Original source. Consomee adds the scaler, ingredient tools, timing and structure — how we source recipes.







