Easy recipe for Spanish Paella
Seafood Paella Recipe, courtesy of Ruth Bitan
The paella is a dish of fragrant, saffron-infused rice mix with seafood and it is served at tables around Spain. Apart from beautifully fresh fish, shrimps, squid, mussels, and clams, the real treasure of seafood paella is the rice. Particularly, the dark, crispy underbelly of the rice, the layer on the bottom that almost burns as the stock evaporates from the pan.
To make this easy seafood paella, make sure to start with the right kind of rice. Bomba rice is the grain of choice for most Spaniards, but it can be hard to find in other countries. If you can’t get hold of it, don’t worry; any short-grain rice will be acceptable.
Since the flavor of the rice is going to come from the seafood broth, it’s best to make your own if you have time. If you can’t, just buy the best seafood broth available in your market.
I will say the the other most important ingredient is the saffron, I preferred the strands than powder. Aside from the taste and aroma, it will give your rice that beautiful golden glow that you just can’t replicate with food coloring.
Now let’s get to your classic Spanish seafood paella recipe.
You will need:
• 2 cups of rice (Bomba)
• 3 cups of seafood broth
• 1/3 cup olive oil (80 ml)
• 1 large onion finely diced
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 2 medium tomatoes peeled and diced
• 1.5 teaspoons sweet paprika or turmeric
• 1 pinch saffron threads
• 2 large squid cleaned and sliced into 1/4-inch rings
• 1 cup white wine (240 ml)
• 12 prawns or jumbo shrimp, shells on if possible for extra flavor
• 12 mussels
Cooking Instructions:
· In a large saucepan over high heat, bring the white wine and seafood stock to a simmer. Add a pinch of saffron threads and keep warm.
· Meanwhile, put a large (16-inch) paella pan over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. When hot, add the onion to the pan and sauté until translucent, stirring often.
· Add the garlic and cook until aromatic (about1-2 minutes). Before it starts to brown, add the tomato and stir, adding in the paprika or turmeric and a pinch of salt. Continue to stir and sauté until the tomatoes are reduced and the oil is sizzling.
· Gently add the squid to the pan and stir to coat in the tomato mixture. Sauté for about a minute, to give some color to the squid.
· Next, add the rice and stir to combine. After a minute of sauteing, spread the rice evenly across the pan (don't worry if it looks like a thin layer, it will puff up).
· Gently add the simmering white wine and stock to the pan, all in one go. Reduce the heat to low, and cook, without stirring, for 10 minutes. Carefully lay the prawns/shrimp in a circle on top of the rice and cook for a further 10 minutes, turning the shrimp over as they start to turn pink. If the rice starts to dry out before the shrimp is cooked, you can top it up with a bit more hot stock, half a cup at a time.
· Add the mussels and clams
· When the stock in the paella pan fully evaporates, you will hear a faint cracking from the bottom of the pan as the “socarrat” starts to form. “Socarrat” is the delicious crust that forms at the bottom of the “paellera”. If you don't hear anything, you can raise the heat to medium for a short burst!
· When the rice is ready, remove the pan from the heat and Serve from the pan, with wedges of fresh lemon
And now like we say in Spain: “Buen Provecho”, Enjoy!