There is nothing more classic than a Spanish paella. It can be made with so many different ingredients, from chicken to seafood to chorizo. Whatever your heart desires, just throw it right in and it is guaranteed to come out delicious. The classic paella is made with seafood and at times adding some chicken in there for those non seafood lovers. One of the things I love about making a paella is that it is all made in one pot keeping the mess of the kitchen to a minimum and my wife happy. Not only does she get a less messy kitchen, but she is left feeling satisfied with dinner.
What kind of rice do you use in a Spanish paella?
The best rice to use in a paella is parboiled rice. It takes less time to cook and it doesn’t turn mushy if you add too much liquid to your dish. Parboiled means that the rice was partially boiled while it was in the husk. There are many different brands of parboiled rice, but I typically stick to Mahatma or Iberia, which are easily available at your local grocery store.
Do I need a paella pan?
Absolutely not, you can use a large skillet or pot to make your paella. I typically use a Spanish caldero from IMUSA. The larger the circumference of the pan, the more crispy or scorched rice you get on the bottom of the pan. Cuban’s typically call this crispy part the ‘raspado’, but is also known as the ‘concon’, ‘raspa’ and in Spain they call it the ‘socarrat.’
What kind of seafood can I use?
You can basically add whatever seafood you like, from shellfish, to squid, to any type of fish out there to a Spanish paella. I typically just do a huge mix of seafood like clams, mussels, cod, shrimp, scallops, and squid. This way your guests have a variety of seafood to pick from.
How do you make a Spanish paella?
- Sear the chicken: If you are adding chicken to the dish, first sear it and brown it on each side. To do so, coat the bottom of the pan with cooking oil and heat over medium-high heat. Once hot, add your chicken and cook on each side for about 3 minutes until browned. Once browned, remove the chicken and set aside.
- Make your sofrito: Using the oil and juices left in the pan, add your diced onions and pepper and saute for about 5 minutes. After, add your garlic and cook for about 1 minute until it’s fragrant.
- Cook your rice: Once your sofrito is cooked, add your rice and allow it to absorb the oil that is left in the pot for about 1-3 minutes. After, add your chicken broth, wine, tomato sauce, spices, and saffron. Bring the liquid to a boil and then add back your chicken. Lower the heat to a simmer. Allow the rice to absorb the water and cook, about 30 minutes.
- Add your seafood: Once the rice has absorbed the majority of the water and is soft, begin to add your seafood. First, add your shellfish (clams and mussels), cover the pot and allow the shellfish to cook for 5 minutes. After, add any large pieces of fish, cover, and cook for another five minutes. Lastly add your squid, shrimp, and scallops (because these take the least amount of time to cook) and cook for another five minutes.
- Finish off the rice: Once all your seafood is cooked, finish off the rice with a few fresh pieces of parsley and a limit of fresh lemon juice on top.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp of garlic powder
- 2 tsp of salt
- ½ tsp of black pepper
- ½ tsp of onion powder
- ½ tsp of smoked paprika
- 1 ¼ cup of diced onion about half a large yellow onion
- ¾ cup of diced green bell pepper about half a bell pepper
- 6 garlic cloves diced
- 4 cups of parboiled rice
- 8 cups of chicken broth
- 1 cup of white wine
- 2 8 oz cans of tomato sauce
- ¼ tsp of saffron threads
- 1 lb of fresh cod
- 1 lb of shrimp with tails off
- ½ lb of miniature scallops
- ½ lb of squid tubes aka calamari sliced into rings
- 1 1/2 lbs of boneless skinless chicken breast (optional)
- 1 lb of mussels
- 10 clams
- Prasely
- Lemon
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the garlic powder, salt, black pepper, onion powder, and smoked paprika. Mix to combine.
- If you are using chicken in this dish, use the mixed seasoning to lightly season your chicken breast. Only use about ⅓ of your seasoning to do so.
- Coat the bottom of the pan with cooking oil and heat over medium-high heat. Once hot, add your chicken and cook on each side for about 3 minutes until browned. Once browned, remove the chicken and set aside.
- Using the oil and juices left in the pan, add your diced onions and pepper and saute for about 5 minutes. After, add your garlic and cook for about 1 minute until it’s fragrant.
- Next, add your rice and allow it to absorb the oil that is left in the pot for about 1-3 minutes.
- After, add your chicken broth, wine, tomato sauce, remainder of the spices, and saffron. Bring the liquid to a boil and then add back your chicken. Lower the heat to a simmer. Allow the rice to absorb the water and cook, about 30 minutes.
- Once the rice has absorbed the majority of the water and is soft, begin to add your seafood. First add your shellfish (clams and mussels), cover the pot and allow the shellfish to cook for 5 minutes. After, add any large pieces of fish (cod), cover and cook for another five minutes. Lastly, add your squid, shrimp, and scallops (because these take the least amount of time to cook) and cook for another five minutes.
- Once all your seafood is cooked, finish off the rice with a few fresh pieces of parsley and a limit of fresh lemon juice on top.
