This recipe is one that sounds super fancy but is actually super simple to make. When I first heard of Paella, I thought that it was some super fancy Spanish dish, but actually, it originally was a lunchtime meal for Valencian farmers, where they would gather what was available to them around the rice fields, including tomatoes, onions, and snails along with rabbit, duck, or chicken, and any other vegetables around the farm. These ingredients made up most of the main ingredients for the original dish, but for Valencians living on the coast, they tended to use seafood instead of meat for their paella, hence this recipe.
As this dish spread throughout 18th and 19th century Spain as well as outside Spain in the 20th century, Europeans adapted the ingredients to make use of the things around them, including a wide variety of seafood, meat, vegetables, and many different seasonings, all making their own version of this simple rice dish.
And so, because of this, you can really adapt this recipe quite easily to use whatever ingredients you like! If you know how to make rice, you can make this dish. In fact, I’ve never tried this, but you might actually be able to adapt this recipe for a rice cooker if you don’t want to mess with making it in a pan. You would just need to prepare the ingredients before cooking the rice, of course.
Speaking of ingredients, one key ingredient to this dish is the saffron. This ingredient is what gives the dish its distinctive yellow color and slightly sweet, floral, earthy flavor. But, this ingredient tends to be quite expensive because harvesting it from the crocus flower is quite labor-intensive since it has to be done by hand. So, if you wanted to substitute it with a cheaper alternative, you could use turmeric instead, to retain the yellow color.
Also, with the vegetables, I might’ve accidentally chopped up more vegetables than I needed, so I had to remove some from the pot, but this is a great way to have ingredients prepared for another batch of Paella later. Seafood Paella tastes best when made fresh, so if you end up with extra uncooked ingredients, you can always save some for later.
With the rice, it’s pretty important to use short- or medium- grain rice since it will retain its texture the best while cooking, but you could in a pinch, substitute with other types of rice that you have on hand. I wouldn’t recommend using arborio rice unless you want to have a more risotto-style paella. But regardless of what type of rice you use, this recipe is a great way to make a bunch of food for a ton of people, so this is a delicious dish to make for a dinner party or for a big family.
But no matter if you make it for a group of people or just yourself, this Seafood Paella recipe is a great way to use up any seafood and vegetables you have lying around in your fridge or freezer or even better, from your garden or freshly caught, to make a delicious meatless meal for Lent or for any other time of the year!
Ingredients:
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 onion
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 3 cups water or seafood or vegetable stock
- 2 cups bomba or valencia (short- or medium-grain) rice
- 1 tsp saffron threads or powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
- Some vegetables:
- Some tomatoes
- Some green beans
- Some bell peppers
- Some seafood:
- Some lobster tails
- Some shrimp or prawns (with heads and shells on, for flavor, if you wish)
- Some squid
- Some mussels or clams
- 1/2 lemon
- Some salt
- Some fresh parsley (for garnish)
Step 1: Prepare Boiled Water & Prepare Ingredients
First, we’ll prepare the ingredients, so in your pan or a separate large pot, add in your water or stock and set this to boil.
Then, while we wait for this, we’ll prepare the rest of the ingredients. So, for your seafood, if you need to defrost them, run some cold water over them until the ice melts.
And while this is happening, we’ll prepare the vegetables, so roughly chop up your garlic, dice up your onions, and for your vegetables, chop these up into small pieces as well.
Step 2: Prepare Lobster-Saffron Broth
Once your water is boiling, add in some salt and then add in the lobster tails, boiling them for a couple of minutes until the shells turn pink.
Then, remove the lobster tails to allow them to cool and transfer the lobster water into another bowl, if needed, for later use, straining any scum from the broth if desired.
Then, add in a pinch or two of saffron to the hot water to allow it to bloom and infuse into the lobster broth.
Step 3: Cook Vegetables in Pan
Once all of your ingredients are ready, in your pan, heat up your olive oil on medium-high heat, and once it’s hot, add in the chopped onions and saute this for a few minutes, adding some salt if desired, until it starts to brown slightly and turn translucent.
Then, add in the garlic, sauteing until fragrant, and then add in the rest of the vegetables, as well as your paprika, cayenne pepper, and some more salt, if desired, stirring and cooking the vegetables until the tomatoes cook down and has a jam-like texture, about 5-10 minutes or so.
Step 4: Add Squid & Saute for a Minute & Add Lobster-Saffron Broth to Pan & Bring to Boil
Then, once your vegetables are ready, add in your squid or other tougher seafood such as octopus or other cephalopods (if using) and saute it for a minute. Then, add in the saffron-infused lobster water and bring this to a boil.
Step 5: Add Rice, Simmering for 10 Minutes; Add Shrimp/Mussels/Clams on Top of Rice, Cook for Another 10 Minutes
Once the broth has come to a boil, add in the rice, giving it one final mix so everything is evenly distributed and then reduce the heat to low, covering the pan with a lid or tightly with aluminum foil, and simmer the rice for 10 minutes.
Then, once the liquid has reduced some, add the shrimp and whole mussels/clams on top of the rice, adding some more water if needed, and then cover the pot again and cook for another 10 minutes, until the liquid is fully absorbed and the shrimp and mussels are fully cooked.
Step 6: Add Back in Cooked Lobster, Crisp up Bottom of Rice, Garnish, & Enjoy!
Once the dish is fully cooked, add back in the cooked lobster, covering the pot once again, warming the lobster back up.
Then, turn the heat back up to medium-high heat, and cook the bottom of the rice for a couple of minutes until you hear it start to crackle to achieve the traditional crispy bottom called socarrat, if desired.
Garnish with your lemon slices and parsley, and with that, your Seafood Paella is ready to eat.