Northern-Style Seafood Rice (Arroz a la Norteña con Marisco)

A vibrant Peruvian northern-style seafood rice distinguished by three essential northern ingredients: zapallo loche squash, chicha de jora, and blended cilantro. The dish features a mixed seafood medley with shrimp, finished with blanched sea purslane (yuyo marino) for an impressive presentation.

20m Prep

25m Cook

45m Total

1 Servings

arroz-con-mariscos norteño seafood-rice zapallo-loche chicha-de-jora culantro cilantro northern-peru peruvian-seafood emprendimiento standardized victor-heredia master-cook arroz-norteño

Ingredients

Base

250 g cooked rice (day-old aged variety) (pre-cooked; use Victor's strained-rice method for best texture)

Garnish

sea purslane / yuyo marino (blanch briefly in boiling water; use as garnish on top) optional
whole squid or squid rings (cook in wok with seafood medley; use as garnish) optional
crab claws (place on top for presentation) optional

Northern Base

70 g zapallo loche squash (grated) (grate finely; add to wok after sautéing seafood; cook with stock until it dissolves into a purée)
62 mL chicha de jora (or substitute light beer) (add to wok; adds mild fermented acidity — do not over-use)
150 mL cilantro paste (blanched and blended) (blanch cilantro in boiling water for seconds; shock in cold water; blend with cooking water; use half during cooking, half added at end for bright color)
crustacean stock / fondo de crustáceos (add as needed to keep moisture while zapallo cooks; do not substitute with cream)
sofrito base sauce / salsa madre (add to wok as the standard Peruvian sofrito base)

Protein

150 g mixed seafood medley (marinate with salt and lime juice; rest 20–30 min; sauté in hot wok then remove before finishing dish)
50 g shrimp / langostinos (marinate with seafood; sauté briefly then remove to use as garnish — do not overcook)
1 g salt (add to seafood marinade)
0.5 unit lime juice (squeeze half a lime over seafood; remove seeds)

Vegetables

120 g mixed vegetables (corn, peas, carrot) (divide: add half during cooking, reserve half for garnish; warm garnish half briefly before plating)

Steps

1

Make the cilantro paste: submerge cilantro in boiling water for a few seconds to remove carbonic acid and oxidation. Shock immediately in cold water. Blend with some of the cooking water until smooth. Reserve.

Tip: Blanching before blending prevents the dark, oxidized color. You get a bright, vibrant green paste.

~5 min
2

In a bowl, weigh 150 g mixed seafood and 50 g shrimp. Season with 1 g salt and the juice of half a lime. Mix, remove any seeds. Rest 20–30 minutes (refrigerate if in a warm environment).

~5 min
3

Weigh 70 g grated zapallo loche, 62 mL chicha de jora, and 150 mL cilantro paste. Also prepare 120 g mixed vegetables (corn, peas, carrots) and have the salsa madre and crustacean stock on hand.

~5 min
4

Heat wok or pan to smoking point. Add a little oil. Add all the marinated seafood. Sauté quickly. Remove shrimp (langostinos) separately before fully cooked — reserve for garnish. Remove the rest of the seafood and reserve.

Tip: The shrimp overcook very fast. Pull them early — they'll finish warming when added back at the end.

~3 min
5

In the same wok, add chicha de jora, grated zapallo loche, a splash of salsa madre, and half the cilantro paste. Add a splash of crustacean stock to help the loche cook. Simmer 3 minutes on low until the squash is completely soft. Test by pressing a piece — it should mash easily into purée.

Tip: The zapallo loche is what gives this dish its characteristic creaminess and flavor — no cream is needed. Its natural sugars and starch create the sauce.

~5 min
6

Return all the seafood (except shrimp) to the wok. Give a brief stir. Add 250 g cooked rice. Fold together on minimum heat to amalgamate the flavors. Allow to dry slightly — the rice should be moist but not soupy.

Tip: Use aged rice for best texture. This dish should be slightly dry in presentation, not risotto-style.

~5 min
7

Add half the vegetables. Let cook briefly. When the rice looks almost dry, add the remaining cilantro paste (for a bright, non-oxidized green color). Add remaining vegetables. Give one final boil and turn off heat.

Tip: Adding the remaining cilantro paste at the end maintains a vibrant, elegant green color rather than a dull oxidized one.

~3 min
8

Blanch yuyo marino (sea purslane) briefly in boiling water. Plate the rice by molding in the center. Crown with squid, reserved shrimp, crab claws, blanched yuyo, and warm vegetables. Warm the garnish vegetables briefly in boiling water before adding.

Tip: Present the rice on a spinning plate (bailarina) for restaurant-style service. The dish should hold its shape when plated — this means the rice dried enough.

~3 min

Nutrition (per serving)

480

Calories

32g

Protein

55g

Carbs

10g

Fat

Fiber

Cultural Context

Northern Peruvian cuisine (cocina norteña) is defined by three signature ingredients found in nearly every dish: zapallo loche, a powerfully aromatic squash unique to the northern coast; chicha de jora, a fermented corn beverage; and culantro (cilantro). Victor Heredia presents this dish standardized with exact weights for replication in home or business cooking.