Arros Negre appears as a signature dish in 1 Spain cities. See each city's local variant and where to eat it.
Arros negre (squid-ink rice) · Barcelona
Arros negre is Catalonia's coal-black rice: short-grain Spanish rice cooked in cuttlefish ink and seafood stock until each grain is jet-black, topped with squid rings and a sharp aioli on the side.
Arros negre is a Catalan coastal classic, codified in the rice-growing Albufera and Tarragona regions in the 19th century and adopted by Barcelona seafood houses as a signature dinner plate. The dish uses bomba rice cooked in cuttlefish ink until the grains turn glossy black, with a thin caramelised socarrat at the pan bottom. 7 Portes (founded 1836 at the harbour, the city's oldest seafood house) plates the canonical version daily; Cal Pep at the Born serves a refined small portion; Can Sole and Els Pescadors keep the tradition alive in Barceloneta and Poblenou. Always served with allioli on the side, spooned over to cut the briny depth.
Where to eat in Barcelona:
- 7 Portes
- Cal Pep
- Can Sole
- Els Pescadors