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Portuguese Tomato Rice with Friture de la Moselle

Crispy Moselle fish meets brothy Portuguese tomato rice – two culinary traditions that both feel right at home in Ehnen.

For this recipe, I’ve combined Portugal’s arroz de tomate – a garlicky, brothy tomato rice – with the Moselle’s beloved friture: tiny, golden-fried fish that are a classic local summer dish. To give it a little twist, I’ve even added a splash of blessed Riesling from Ehnen – yes, blessed! Every year at Éiner Wënzerdag, a barrel of Riesling is blessed in the village church before being paraded through the streets and opened for the festivities.

This dish was created for Éiner Wënzerdag, the Moselle’s legendary wine festival held every third weekend in July in the charming medieval village of Ehnen. It’s a celebration of cultures: Portuguese families first settled here in the 1960s, bringing with them their rich food traditions.

This dish brings together the best of both worlds – and I’ll be cooking it live at this year’s festival. So mark June 20th in your diaries and taste this tomato rice at the wine festival.

Ingredients

For the tomato rice:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
500g ripe tomatoes, grated
1 tbsp tomato paste
100ml Einer Pinot Gris wine
1 bay leaf
A pinch of chili flakes
200g Carolino rice
700ml hot chicken stock
Salt and pepper
Fresh coriander, to finish

For the fish:
300g whitebait (or cleaned, whole small fish – heads and tails on)
Salt and pepper
1l oil for deep-frying
Lemon wedges, to serve

Method

Serves 4

For the tomato rice:
Heat the olive oil in a saucepan. Add the chopped onion with a pinch of salt and cook for approx. 5 minutes until soft, adding the garlic for the last minute.

Add the grated tomatoes and tomato paste, season with salt and pepper, and cook for 5 minutes until soft and saucy.

Stir in the rice and let it absorb the flavours for a minute. Add white wine and leave to cook for a minute.

Add the hot stock and the bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer gently, uncovered, for about 15–20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
When the rice is just tender, stir in the coriander and season with a bit of lemon juice.

For the fish:
While the rice is cooking, prepare the fried fish.

Heat the oil in a saucepan to 180°C. Fry the whitebait in batches for approx. 3 minutes, until golden and crisp. Don’t overcrowd the pan.

Lift out with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with salt while hot.

Serve the fish immediately with the rice and a lemon wedge.

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