The arròs a banda (in Spanish, arroz a banda) is one of the most emblematic seafood dishes of Dénia and the entire coast of Alicante. It was born as a humble recipe of the fishermen, who cooked with the less attractive fish or with the parts that were not sold in the market. With that fish they prepared a tasty broth, to which they then added the rice “a banda”, that is to say, cooked apart from the fish, hence its name.
The result is a dry rice, with an intense and deep flavor, in which the protagonist is the seafood broth, made with morralla, crabs, galleys or rock fish. The sofrito of tomato, garlic, ñora and olive oil completes the aromatic base, while the perfect point of the rice makes it a unique experience for lovers of Mediterranean cuisine.
In Dénia, arròs a banda is much more than a recipe: it is a sign of culinary identity and a local pride. It is usually served with homemade all i oli and, in some cases, a second course with the boiled fish that gave rise to the broth, seasoned with oil and lemon.
This dish reflects the seafaring soul of the city and the popular wisdom transmitted from generation to generation. Tasting it in front of the sea, with the aroma of the Mediterranean and the breeze of Dénia, is to enjoy the purest essence of its traditional gastronomy.
