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Bomba Rice with Slow-Cooked Octopus

Bomba rice is a short-grained, high-starch rice variety found throughout Spain. This rice often serves as the base for classic Spanish rice dishes, such as paella.
It is sometimes referred to as, “Valencia rice,” although you see this product used in dishes across the country, even for famous dessert dishes such as arroz con leche. The rice works great when cooked with chicken, red meat, or a wide variety of seafood!
In the recipe below, seafood stock is used to slowly braise octopus tentacles. The octopus-infused cooking liquid is then reserved to cook the Bomba rice. You add more hot seafood stock as the rice cooks and requires more liquid over time.
The following recipe serves 4-6 people.

Ingredients

  • 24 oz 1.5 lbs Octopus tentacles
  • 1 quart fish stock (or vegetable stock)
  • 2 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 1 Tbsp Kosher salt (or more to taste)
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 1 white onion (small dice)
  • 1 leek (white section cut into fine slices)
  • 6 cloves garlic (finely minced)
  • ½ cup white wine
  • ½ cup tomato puree
  • 1 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • ½ tsp freshly-ground black pepper
  • ½ tsp smoked pimentón (paprika)
  • 1.5 cups Bomba rice (or your favorite short-grain rice)
  • ½ cup chopped fresh parsley
  • 2 Tbsp butter (for finishing the rice)

Instructions 

  • Cook the octopus tentacles in a soup pot over low heat, covered with simmering salted fish stock or vegetable stock, along with a few sprigs of fresh thyme.
  • Continue cooking the octopus over low heat for roughly three or four hours, or until the octopus tentacles are completely tender.
  • Remove the tender octopus tentacles from the cooking liquid, and cut the meat into bite-sized pieces.
  • Reserve the braised octopus tentacles and the cooking liquid for later.
  • In a large sauté pan, add ¼ cup of olive oil and increase the heat to medium-high.
  • Add the diced white onion and leeks, and cook while stirring for ten minutes.
  • Add the minced garlic and the white wine, and cook until the white wine has mostly evaporated, or roughly 15 minutes.
  • Add the tomato puree, red pepper flakes, dried oregano, freshly-ground black pepper, and smoked pimentón.
  • Reduce the heat to medium-low, and continue to cook for an additional twenty minutes while stirring occasionally.
  • Add the Bomba rice, along with one third of the cooking liquid that you used to braise the octopus.
  • Add the fresh parsley, and cook over medium-low heat until the liquid has been absorbed by the rice.
  • Add more liquid one cup of seafood stock at a time, stirring slowly until the rice is cooked.
  • When the rice is fully cooked, add in the braised octopus from earlier, along with two Tablespoons of butter.
  • Serve the rice immediately, in warm bowls.

Notes

You can braise the octopus tenacles in advance of making the rice, and leave it in the fridge for a day or two until you are ready to cook the rice.
I’ve seen this dish with shrimp, mussels, clams, and other seafood mixed in towards the end of the cooking process—add whatever you like, just be aware of the required cooking times for different types of seafood.
This rice dish tastes great reheated.