Paella

The most famous Spanish dish of them all! Paella is meant to be a fun relaxed dish, so don’t get hung up about having the exact same seafood I’ve used - see Notes. And don’t be scared of making paella - it is actually very forgiving if you have the right liquid/rice ratios and follow the order in which I cook things!

Ingredients

  • 1 - 2 tbsp olive oil

  • 7 oz chorizo (2 pieces)

  • 1 onion, diced (brown, white, yellow)

  • 3 garlic cloves, minced

  • 1 red bell pepper, diced

  • 1 1/2 cups paella rice (“Bomba”, “Valencia” or “Calasparra” rice)

  • 2 juicy ripe tomatoes, peeled and diced

  • 10 oz chicken, cut into 1.5”

  • 3 1/2 cups chicken broth

  • 1 tsp saffron threads

  • 1 cup frozen peas

  • 12-16 medium prawns, whole (shell on)

  • 12 large mussels

Directions

  • Heat 1 tbsp oil in a paella pan over high heat. Add chorizo and cook until browned on each side (~ 3 minutes). Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

  • Add remaining oil (if needed). Add garlic and onion, cook for 2 minutes. Add bell pepper, cook for 1 minute.

  • Add chicken. Cook for 2 minutes until lightly browned but still raw inside.

  • Add rice and mix until the grains are coated in oil.

  • Add in most of the chorizo (reserve 1/4 for garnish), chicken stock, fresh or crushed tomato and saffron. Stir.

  • Bring it to a simmer then adjust heat so it’s simmering fairly gently (not super rapidly, will burn rice). Simmer for 10 minutes - no stirring! At this stage, a bit of rice should be poking through to the surface but there should still be plenty of liquid.

  • Add peas, prawns and mussels - Scatter over peas, squidge the prawns and mussels into the rice (partial submerge is fine).

  • Cook for 8 minutes (turn prawns halfway if you think it’s necessary) or until prawns are opaque, mussels are open, and most of the liquid has been absorbed but still a bit liquidy. Discard any mussels that do not open. Remove from stove.

  • Do a taste test to see if the rice is cooked - it should be firm but cooked. If it is too firm for your taste, no stress, just add a splash of hot water (not too much!) and keep cooking.

  • Scatter reserved chorizo (residual heat will warm through), cover with lid then rest for 5 minutes (rice will absorb remainig liquid). Paella rice should now be tender but “juicy”, not stodgy and thick (if it is, add splash of water to loosen it).

  • Garnish with parsley and wedges of lemon.