SidesMedium

Arroz a la Tumbada (Seafood Rice)

Name: Arroz a la Tumbada (Seafood Rice)
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 65 min
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 3 tbsp Olive oil; 3 cloves Garlic; 2 cups Rice; 200 g Calamares en anillos; 300 g Shrimp; 1 White onion; 2 Jalapeño chiles; 3 sprigs Epazote; 4 Tomatoes; 2 Limes; 300 g White fish, cut into chunks; 1 tsp Salt

4.0(1 rating)

65 min (30 prep + 35 cook) Medium 6 servings Veracruz

Edmond Bojalil

Recetas Mexas

Published: Mar 24, 2026 · Updated: Jun 22, 2026

Soupy seafood rice, Veracruz style.

Servings

Custom:

💰 Estimated cost: $24.16

$4.03 per person

* Approximate prices based on US supermarkets

Ingredients

3 tbsp Olive oil$0.54find
3 cloves Garlic$0.15find
2 cups Rice$2.64find
200 g Calamares en anillos$3.52find
300 g Shrimp$6.60find
1 White onion$0.31find
2 Jalapeño chiles$0.10find
3 sprigs Epazote$1.50find
4 Tomatoes$2.11find
2 Limes$0.74find
300 g White fish, cut into chunks$5.95find
1 tsp Salt$0.01find

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About this recipe

Soupy rice with fresh seafood in the Veracruz style, cooked with tomato, chile and epazote. A coastal dish celebrating the bounty of the Gulf of Mexico.

History & Origin

Arroz a la tumbada is one of the most representative dishes of Veracruz cookery, born on the Gulf of Mexico coast. Its name comes from the word tumbar meaning to serve generously. Unlike Spanish paella, it is deliberately soupy and uses purely Mexican ingredients: tomato, jalapeno, fresh epazote and dried chiles. Fishermen from Alvarado and Tlacotalpan perfected this recipe using the daily catch.

Estimated cost

$24.16

Total cost

$4.03

Per serving

* Approximate prices based on US supermarkets

Nutritional information per serving

420

Calories

28g

Protein

48g

Carbohydrates

12g

Fat

Fiber

680mg

Sodium

* Approximate values. May vary depending on ingredients used.

Method

1
Clean the seafood: peel the shrimp (keep the shells), cut the fish into pieces and clean the squid. Boil the shrimp shells in water to make stock.
2
Blend the tomatoes with the onion, garlic and jalapeno chiles. Strain and set aside.
3
In a wide casserole with olive oil, fry the rice until translucent (5 minutes), stirring constantly.
4
Add the blended tomato sauce and cook for 5 minutes. Add the hot shrimp stock (double the volume of rice) and epazote.
5
When the rice is half-cooked (10 minutes), add the seafood starting with those that take longest: octopus, fish, shrimp and finally squid.
6
Cook for 10 more minutes until the rice is tender and the seafood cooked. It should be soupy. Serve in a deep plate with lime.

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Edmond Bojalil

Founder, Recetas Mexas

Mexican from Puebla, IT professional and foodie. Author of 1000+ authentic Mexican recipes adapted for home kitchens worldwide. Based in Madrid since 2018.