Five Senses Palate/Sujhey Beisser
Arroz con Pepitonas
Every time I visit my mom in Venezuela, there are a few dishes that quietly make their way onto the table, no discussion needed. Arroz con pepitonas is one of them. It’s not flashy or celebratory — it’s comforting and familiar. My mom makes it the same way every time, usually on a regular weekday, as if to remind me that I’m home. Last time I visited in 2023 i made it myself while my mom was recovering from a fall. Pepitonas are always canned, and the magic of this dish is in its simplicity: good rice, a savory sofrito, and the briny flavor of the sea. Now, living in Wisconsin this is one of the dishes I cook when I miss home — when I want my kitchen to smell like my mom’s house by the beach and my memories to feel close.
Pepitonas are small saltwater clams native to Venezuela’s Caribbean coast. They are traditionally sold canned, packed in their natural juices, which are essential to the flavor of the dish. In Venezuela, you’ll find them easily in grocery stores; abroad, they can be harder to source, but the dish adapts beautifully.
Recipe: Arroz con Pepitonas
Serves 4
Ingredients
2 cups long-grain white rice
1 can (6–8 oz) pepitonas with their liquid
3½–4 cups water or seafood stock
2 tbsp vegetable oil or achiote oil
½ small onion, finely chopped
½ green bell pepper, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp tomato paste
½ tsp ground cumin
Salt and black pepper, to taste
Optional: a pinch of annatto (achiote) or sazón for color
Instructions:
Rinse the rice under cold water until the water runs mostly clear. Set aside.
In a medium pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and bell pepper and sauté until soft and fragrant, about 4–5 minutes.
Add the garlic and tomato paste; cook for another minute, stirring constantly.
Stir in the cumin, pepper, and optional annatto.
Add the rice and mix well so each grain is coated in the sofrito.
Pour in the water or stock along with the liquid from the canned pepitonas. Taste and adjust salt carefully — the pepitonas add natural salinity.
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for 15–18 minutes, until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed.
Gently fold in the pepitonas, cover again, and let rest for 5 minutes before fluffing with a fork.
Substitutions in Wisconsin
If you can’t find Venezuelan pepitonas, canned clams (preferably chopped, with juice) are the closest substitute.
For a different but still delicious version, canned mussels or small scallops can work, though the flavor will be slightly sweeter.
Always use the seafood liquid — it’s what gives this dish its depth.
This arroz con pepitonas may be humble, but it carries the taste of the Venezuelan sea water and the quiet rituals of cooking with my mom — one pot, one memory at a time.