Where to Eat Rice in Alicante: Arròs a Banda, Caldero and Arroz con Costra

The rice of Alicante province isn't the wide-pan paella associated with the north of the Comunitat Valenciana — it's a stock rice, cooked in a pot, born on the boats of the province's fishing towns. The name changes depending on how it's cooked and served: arròs a banda, when the rice is served on its own, apart from the fish; caldero, when the fish stew and the rice that follows it are served together, as two courses; and arroz con costra, when a meat rice is finished in the oven under a set-egg crust. All three are cooked in different towns across the province and share little beyond the rice itself. For the rest of the province's food, what to eat in Alicante covers the shellfish, the turrón, the wine and the spoon cooking of the interior.

Arròs a banda: the rice served on its own

The name says it all: "a banda" means the fish is served apart, as a second course, while the rice takes the lead in the first, cooked in the same fish-and-seafood stock. Arròs a banda began on the boats of Santa Pola's port, where fishermen made the fumet on board using the fish with the least commercial value, then cooked the rice in that stock once ashore. It's a close relative of caldero, sharing the same base stock, but here the rice is served loose and dry, letting the concentrated flavour of the fumet do all the work. It's always ordered with allioli on the side — the depth of flavour comes from the stock, not the sauce.

Caldero: the stew that gives the dish its name

Caldero takes its name from the pot it's cooked in: a stew of rockfish and potato served emulsified with allioli, followed by a rice cooked in that same broth. In Santa Pola, Restaurante Batiste has specialised in the dish since Batiste Juan Torres opened it in 1959 facing the fishing port, and still serves it as two courses for a minimum of two diners, as the dish's tradition demands. On Tabarca island, caldero tabarquino follows the same basis — rockfish cooked in a pot, with rice or potatoes finished in that broth — but with its own character, inherited from the Genoese-Tabarkin fishermen who settled the island in the 18th century and cooked on board to use the whole catch before returning to port. The Alicante in 3 days itinerary includes the boat crossing to the island as its closing day.

Arroz con costra: the rice finished in the oven

Arroz con costra is a rice dish cooked with meat and cured sausage that finishes in the oven until the beaten egg poured over it sets into a golden crust. It's a dish of humble origin, built to use up meat and sausage left over from the pig slaughter, that over time became the most representative dish of Elx and the wider Baix Vinalopó comarca. El Estanquet, a 19th-century roadside inn out in the Elche countryside, away from the town-centre tourist routes, still makes it wood-fired, after generations in the same trade.

Arroz del senyoret and other coastal rice dishes

Arroz del senyoret follows the same principle as arròs a banda — rice cooked in fish-and-seafood stock — but with the seafood already shelled before it reaches the table, built for diners who'd rather not get their hands into shells. It isn't tied to one town: it turns up on the menu of most rice restaurants along the Alicante coast. In La Vila Joiosa, Hogar del Pescador, opened in 1970 next to the yacht club, buys its fish daily at the town's market and moves its menu between rice dishes and seasonal fish, in line with the fishing-village cooking that defines this stretch of coast. The seafood arrives already shelled, which is what gives arroz del senyoret its name — something close to "the gentleman's rice", built for a diner who wants to eat well without doing the work of peeling prawns at the table.

How it's served

• Caldero and arròs a banda are ordered for the whole table, not split between a couple of diners: it's a pot rice, cooked once for the group.
• Allioli is always served on the side, never mixed in during cooking.
• A rice order tends to be the whole meal rather than a starter — kitchens along this coast build the rest of the menu around it, not the other way round.
• Eating caldero on Tabarca island means working around the boat timetable: the island has no transport other than by sea, and the service is cut back sharply in winter.

Frequently asked questions

What's the difference between arròs a banda and caldero?

They share the same fish stock, but in caldero the fish and the rice are served together, as two courses of the same stew; in arròs a banda, the rice is served alone, without the fish, which stays "a banda" (apart).

What is arroz con costra?

A rice dish of meat and cured sausage finished in the oven, covered in beaten egg that sets into a golden crust. It's the most representative dish of Elx and the Baix Vinalopó comarca.

Do you need to book ahead for caldero?

It's worth it, especially at weekends: caldero is served as two courses for a minimum of two diners, and its preparation doesn't take well to being rushed.

How do you get to eat caldero on Tabarca island?

By boat from Santa Pola or Alicante; the service runs mainly between spring and autumn, and it's worth checking the timetable before going, since winter sailings are cut back sharply.