Rice cooked in a wide pan with cuttlefish or squid and their ink, which turns it glossy black — served with allioli.
What makes it arròs negre
Cuttlefish or squid, and their ink.
Short-grain rice in a wide pan, unstirred.
Allioli on the side.
Where it comes from
It's made along the coast from Alicante up into Catalonia, and both sides have claimed it. The ink comes from the cuttlefish or squid in the pan, and brings a deep, briny savour more than a taste of its own.
Like paella, it's cooked in a thin layer and left alone, and it's hardly ever eaten without a bowl of allioli to stir through.