Ingredients
Seafood Paella
- 4 cups low-sodium seafood stock
- 1/2 teaspoon saffron threads lightly crushed
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 red bell pepper cut into thin strips
- 4 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 2 ripe tomatoes grated, skins discarded
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 1/2 cups bomba or other Spanish short-grain rice do not rinse
- 1 teaspoon fine salt plus more to taste
- 1 pound large shrimp peeled and deveined, tails on
- 1 pound mussels scrubbed and debearded
- 1/2 cup frozen peas thawed
- 1 lemon cut into wedges
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley chopped
Equipment
- 1 14- to 15-inch paella pan or wide shallow skillet
- 1 Instant-read thermometer
Instructions
Method
- Warm the seafood stock in a saucepan until steaming but not boiling. Stir in the saffron, cover, and keep warm over low heat for 10 minutes.
- Heat the paella pan over medium-high. Add the olive oil and bell pepper; cook for 4 minutes. Add the garlic, grated tomato, paprika, and half the salt. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes until thick, darkened, and nearly dry.
- Stir the rice through the sofrito for 1 minute. Pour in the saffron stock, add the remaining salt, and distribute the rice evenly. From this point, do not stir. Boil briskly for 8 minutes.
- Reduce to medium-low. Nestle in the mussels and simmer for 5 minutes, then arrange the shrimp and peas over the rice. Cook for 6 to 9 minutes more, rotating the pan as needed, until the rice is just tender, mussels open, and shrimp reach 145°F (63°C). Discard unopened mussels.
- Increase the heat to medium-high for 60 to 90 seconds. Listen for a dry crackle and smell for toasted rice; stop before it smells burnt. Remove from the heat, cover loosely with foil, and rest for 5 minutes.
- Scatter with parsley and serve directly from the pan with lemon wedges, scraping up the crisp socarrat from the bottom.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 serving (1/6 batch)Calories: 470kcalCarbohydrates: 56gProtein: 30gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 165mgSodium: 780mgPotassium: 650mgFiber: 4gSugar: 4g
Video
Notes
This is a seafood paella designed for a home stovetop, not a claim to strict Paella Valenciana, which traditionally uses chicken, rabbit, local beans, tomato, saffron, and short-grain rice. Pan width and burner strength affect evaporation; add a small splash of hot stock if the rice is still firm before the seafood is done. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours and use within 2 days. Nutrition is an estimate.
