A Passion for Paella: A Recipe by Sam Wai
Paella de Marisco / Seafood Paella
Serves 4; Total preparation time: 2 hours
Paella is the most iconic dish of the cuisine of Spain. It is a dish that evokes passion and fierce arguments on authenticity. The closer you are to its home in Valencia, the stricter the rules. Paella is enjoyed all over Spain and the world where the rules are relaxed and a greater variety of ingredients are used.
With a more relaxed attitude, I am presenting a version that nods to the tradition of authentic Valenciano paella but also keeping in mind ingredients easily available locally.
Paella may look complex, but it is actually quite easy to make.
Ingredients:
4 tablespoons olive oil (2 tablespoons for the onions/tomato mixture; 2 tablespoons for sautéing the seafood and more for sprinkling on the rice at the end)
½ onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
½ large red bell pepper, chopped (or ¼ cup of jarred Spanish Piquillo peppers)
2 garlic or paprika flavored sausage (not Mexican chorizo) cut into round slices
½ cup dry white wine
1 lb ripe tomatoes, skinned and chopped (or 1 14.5 ounce can of chopped tomatoes)
Salt & pepper to taste (the amount of salt you will need depends on your broth. If your broth is salted, you may not need any additional salt)
12 medium or large shrimp (with shell and also with head if available)
8 large scallops
¾ lb cod filets cut into 8 pieces (or any mild white fish)
¾ lb squid cut into 1-inch pieces or squid rings (available frozen at supermarkets or Asia grocers)
2 cups short-grain rice (Bamba or paella rice from Valencia is best. Arborio or sushi rice will work)
1 cup of green beans, cut into 3-inch pieces
½ teaspoon saffron threads loosely packed
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary leaves, chopped
½ teaspoon mild Spanish pimentón (or mild paprika)
¼ teaspoon hot pepper flakes (optional)
6 cups seafood broth (try “Better Than Bouillon” brand lobster base and follow direction. Also bottled clam juice or store-bought stock)
12 pre-cooked mussels (frozen pre-cooked mussels are widely available, thaw before use)
(See 7 below if you use fresh mussels)1 cup hot water (quantity to use is as needed, see 7 below)
2 lemons (one sliced thin into half-moon shapes and one cut into two halves)
Instruction:
In a 15” paella pan (or any shallow skillet or sauté pan), sauté chopped onions with olive oil over low to medium heat for 8-10 minutes until softened and light golden.
Add chopped garlic, chopped pepper, and the sausage slices, sauté for another 5 minutes.
Add white wine and tomatoes. Salt and pepper to taste. Cook until this mixture turns into a paste.
Use a paper towel to pat dry the shrimp, scallops, fish pieces, and squid. In a separate skillet with 2 tablespoons of olive oil over high heat, sear consecutively the shrimp, scallops, fish, and squid on both sides until half cooked and set aside. It is fine if it does not brown.
Add the squid, the rice, green beans, saffron, rosemary, paprika, and pepper flakes (optional) and the broth to the paella pan over moderate to high heat to come to a boil. Maintain a gentle boil uncovered. Cook for 15 minutes as the moisture is absorbed. Watch to adjust heat if the boil becomes too vigorous.
After 15 minutes in step 5, turn the heat down to a very low simmer and continue to cook the rice uncovered for another 10 minutes.
Now arrange the pre-cooked and thawed mussels, all the seared and partially cooked shrimp, scallop, fish pieces on top of the paella. Gently push them down partially to ensure good contact with the hot rice. (If you prefer to use fresh uncooked mussels, just bury them in the rice five minutes earlier or precook them.) Adjust the moisture with the cup of hot water (quantity depends on the type of rice and your stove). Paella is a relatively wet dish, somewhere between risotto and fried rice. Now cook over low heat for another 5 minutes. The rice should be a bit sticky and creamy.
Your paella has been on the stove for a total of 30 minutes. The rice should be tender and moist. The paella has absorbed most but not all the liquid and the seafood is fully cooked.
Turn off the heat, leave the paella pan on the stove and cover the paella with a cloth for 10-15 minutes.
Slice one lemon into thin slices and cut each slice in half. Adjust for salt and pepper of the paella to taste (how much salt to add, if any at all, depends on the salt content of your broth). Arrange lemon slices around the edge of the paella. Squeeze lemon halves onto the paella and drizzle olive oil to taste. Serve with a garlicky aioli on the side.*
* There are simple homemade aioli recipes online or you may use a good quality mayonnaise (Kewpie brand is the best), flavored with a little garlic, lemon juice, and hot sauce to taste. This is not the real thing but a good shortcut.
Wine Recommendations:
Most prefer a white wine with a seafood-based paella. Ruede or Albariño white wine from Spain would be wonderful as well as a medium-bodied Chardonnay. This paella has enough flavor to work well with a softer Spanish red like a Rioja, which is my personal preference. A softer and non-fruit-driven Pinot Noir also works.