Seafood Paella - this is not an authentic Paella, but a delicious one certainly.The original classic paella was made using chicken, rabbit, snails and beans. Nowadays, you can mix & match to your taste - seafood / seafood+meat / meat / vegetarian, etc.
This recipe is a seafood version, a bottle of Cava would be nice and chill, which is refreshing and cleans your palate. Light and fresh style of white is another great option that will not dominate the aromas of the paella, a light and dry Rosé would be recommended too.
Erste+Neue Sauvignon Blanc ($140)
42 Degrees South Chardonnay ($180)
Valdemar Rosado ($90)
INGREDIENTS (Serve 4-6)
4 - 6 Large Head-on, Shell-on Prawns
1 Squid
8 - 12 Mussels
12 Clams
1 Tomato (grated)
2 Roasted Bell Peppers (peeled and diced)
1/2 Onion (diced)
2 gloves of whole Garlic (skin on)
400g Paella Rice
1 pinch of Saffron Threads
1 tsp Smoked Paprika
Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper
Quick Broth
15 Prawn Heads & Shells (uncooked)
1/2 Carrot (diced)
1 Celery Stick (diced)
2 Shallots (diced)
1L Hot Water
50ml Dry Sherry
1 tsp tomato paste
Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper HOW TO MAKE THIS RECIPE Quick Stock
Fry the prawn heads and shells in a sauce pan over medium-high heat until they all changed colour. Add shallots, carrot, celery to the pan and fry for another 2 minutes, then add tomato paste and stir together. Add dry sherry and cook for 1 minute, then pour hot water into the pan and let it boil again. Turn the heat down to medium and boil for 30 minutes, season with salt & pepper. Discard the ingredients and keep the stock hot but not boiling as you cook. Paella
1. Heat oil in a paella pan or a shallow casserole over medium-high heat, add garlic gloves and sprinkle sea salt into the pan. Fry the prawns until colour changed with little brown bit, then remove from pan. 2. Add more oil and salt into the pan, fry the squid and remove from the pan when it is cooked. 3. In the same pan over medium-high heat, remove the garlic gloves and sauté the onion until translucent. Add paprika, bell peppers, grated tomato and fry for a minute or two. 4. Add paella rice and stir-fry to coat the grains. Pour in the hot stock, stir once only to spread the rice evenly in the pan. 5. Once the stock is boil again, sprinkle the saffron threads into the pan. Shove the squid, clams and mussels evenly into the rice and make sure they are immersed. Let it cook for another 8-10 minutes until half the stock are absorbed, the clams and mussels should be opened by then. 6. Shove the cooked prawns into the rice, turn the heat down to medium and cook until all liquid are absorbed, around 10-12minutes. Do a taste test to check if the rice is cooked, the rice should be al dente. If it is undercooked, add a splash of hot water and cook to ur taste. 7. Rest for 5 minutes before serving and serve lemon wedges alongside. PS.
You can get chicken stock or fish stock from supermarket, however homemade stock would be best.
Do not stir the rice after the initial stirring, but you can give it a good shake during cooking.
The ideal paella has crust forms on the bottom, the socarrat.