Spanish Seafood Paella
Saffron rice with Gulf shrimp, mussels, clams, and squid, finished with a golden socarrat — a showpiece for any table.
Ingredients
- 2 cups Bomba or short-grain rice
- 5 cups seafood stock
- Pinch of saffron
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 onion and 1 red pepper, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup grated tomato
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 lb shrimp; 1 lb mussels & clams; 1/2 lb squid
- 1 cup peas; lemon wedges
Method
- Warm the stock with the saffron.
- In a paella pan, soften the onion, pepper, and garlic in olive oil; add the grated tomato and paprika and cook down to a sofrito.
- Stir in the rice to coat, then pour in the hot stock. Simmer without stirring about 15 minutes.
- Nestle in the shrimp, mussels, clams, and squid; scatter the peas. Cook until the shellfish open and a crisp socarrat forms on the bottom, about 10 minutes.
- Rest 5 minutes and serve with lemon.
Resist stirring once the stock goes in — that’s how you get the prized socarrat.