Which Alicante seafood rice dish has a name meaning little lord?

Arroz del Senyoret is the Alicante seafood rice dish whose name means “little lord.”

The Valencian word senyoret means a young gentleman or “little lord.” The name refers to the dish’s defining convenience: seafood is peeled, and fish is cleaned of bones, so the diner can eat without handling shells or bones. The title is often explained as a humorous reference to wealthy diners who did not want to dirty their hands.

This rice is closely related to arroz a banda, another coastal Alicante specialty traditionally cooked with fish stock. In arroz del Senyoret, however, the seafood is incorporated into the rice in ready-to-eat pieces. Common ingredients include prawns, squid, cuttlefish, mussels, or firm fish, although recipes vary by locality and season.

It is sometimes described loosely as a seafood paella, but Alicante cooks may distinguish these rice traditions from Valencia’s classic paella valenciana. Another frequent mix-up is with arròs negre, whose black color comes from squid ink, or arroz con costra, which is finished with an egg crust.