Seafood quinoa or quinoa paella {Quinua marinera}

My recipe for seafood quinoa, a quinoa paella style dish made with quinoa cooked in seafood broth and sautéed with shrimp, clams, squid, scallops, onions, garlic, bell pepper, cilantro and spices.

En Español

It was hard to come up with a translated name for this dish. I was inspired by the Ecuadorian arroz marinero or seafood rice which is a very typical dish in the coastal region of Ecuador. Also, since quinoa has more tenderness to it than the long grain rice we use for seafood rice, I was also inspired by thought of a good seafood risotto. The first impression by my friends who tasted this seafood quinoa was that it reminded them of paella. 

This seafood quinoa or quinoa style paella, also known as quinua marinera or quinua con mariscos, is made with quinoa cooked in a seafood broth and sautéed with shrimp, clams, squid, bay scallops, onions, garlic, bell pepper, cilantro and spices.

You could say that arroz marinero is the South American cousin of Spanish paella (but that’s another story and another recipe). So you could also consider it a variation of paella (even though it doesn’t have saffron, chicken or chorizo which are used in a traditional paella). You can call it whatever you prefer: seafood quinotto (this sounds the sexiest to me), quinoa paella, or seafood quinoa – the delicious flavor will the same.

Regardless of the name, it was a success and the quinoa took in the flavors of the seafood and spices even better than the rice usually does. I decided ultimately to go with seafood quinoa as the name. Mainly because it goes very well with the sides that are typically served with the seafood rice: plantains, tomato and onion curtido, avocado, lime slices and hot sauce (a good cold beer or a glass of pinot are also good accompaniments).

I left the shells on the shrimp because it adds more flavor to the quinoa. This was prepared for a casual party with good friends. If you’re making this for a more formal event, where people don’t want to peel the shrimp with their hands then you can peel the shrimp. You can use the shells for the broth to cook the quinoa.

Only my French husband is a pro at peeling a shrimp using a fork and knife, and even then he only gets half of the shrimp meat out. Also this recipe can made with any combination of seafood that is available to you.

Seafood quinoa or quinoa paella {Quinua marinera}

Seafood quinoa or quinoa paella recipe made with seafood broth and sautéed with shrimp, clams, squid, scallops, onions, garlic, bell pepper, cilantro and spices.

4.86 from 34 votes

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Andean, Ecuadorian, Latin American, Latin fusion, South American

Keyword: Quinoa, Quinoa paella, Seafood, Seafood quinoa

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 2 cups uncooked quinoa pre-washed
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped white onion
• 1 garlic clove minced
• 4 cups seafood broth

For the seafood quinoa:

• 3 tablespoons oil
• 2 garlic heads peeled and crushed
• 1 cup finely chopped white onion
• 1 bell pepper diced
• ½ tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground achiote or annatto use paprika as a replacement if needed
• 1 cup cooked peas
• 1 bunch of cilantro finely chopped
• 1 lb raw shrimp deveined and with shells on
• 1 lb small clams well cleaned
• 1 lb squid or calamari both tubes and tentacles, cut in small pieces
• ½ lb bay scallops
• Salt and pepper to taste

To serve:

• Fried ripe plantains
• Tomato and onion curtido
• Avocado slices
• Lime slices
• Aji criollo hot sauce

Instructions

To cook the quinoa:

• Heat 2 tablespoons of oil on medium heat in a saucepan
• Add the 2 tablespoons of chopped onion and the crushed garlic clove, and cook until soft, about 3-5 minutes.
• Add the quinoa and the seafood broth, bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and let simmer for about 15 minutes or until the water has evaporated and quinoa is tender, save for later.

For the seafood quinoa or quinoa paella:

• Heat the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil on medium heat in a large sauté pan.
• Add the chopped onions and crushed garlic, stir frequently and cook until the onions are tender, about 5 minutes.
• Add the cumin, achiote or annatto powder, diced bell pepper, and a bit of salt and pepper.
• Cook for another 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
• Add ½ of the finely chopped cilantro, stir in well.
• Add the raw shrimp and the clams, stir and cook for about 3 minutes.
• Stir in the cooked quinoa, peas, calamari and bay scallops, cook until the seafood is done, no longer than 5 minutes.
• Add the remaining ½ of the chopped cilantro, and additional salt or pepper if needed.
• Serve with fried ripe plantains, tomato and onion curtido or salad, avocado, lime slices, and aji criollo or hot sauce.

Related recipes:
Recipe for fried ripe plantains 
Recipe for tomato and onion curtido salsa 
Recipe for aji criollo hot sauce