My first paella was in Spain! Barcelona to be exact, we were on holiday trying out tapas and other local dishes. I remember thinking “that looks like jollof rice!” It was topped with langoustine and an assortment of shellfish. There were only 2 langoustines, it was so good! I wanted more! I don’t know why i didn’t leave Spain with a paella pan, it took me a while to acquire one before i realized it could also be cooked in a cast iron skillet. Enjoy this recipe at home, with as much seafood as you like or your favourite combination of meats and vegetables. This delicious dish is a different level of enjoyment!
Ingredients
- 300g Arborio rice
- 600ml hot chicken stock
- 1 Onion (fine dice)
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- ½ tsp Saffron
- 16 large prawns (cleaned, tail on)
- 8 Mussels (scrubbed and debearded)
- 12 Clams
- 16 Calamari rings
- 200g skinless boneless chicken thighs (Cut in thirds)
- 100g Chorizo (diced)
- 1 bell pepper (diced)
- ¼ cup frozen peas
- 40g Tomato puree
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- Salt (as required)
- Black pepper (as required)
- 30ml white wine (optional)
- Lemon juice (optional)
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons chopped parsley (garnish)
- Lemon wedges (garnish)
Instructions
- In a saucepan, bring about ¼- ½ cup of salted water to a boil, add mussels and clams, cover and cook for 2 minutes. All the shells should be opened, discard any shells that do not open. Set them aside.
- Pat chicken dry and season with salt and pepper.
- Crumble the saffron strands and add to hot chicken stock to infuse.
- Heat up a paella pan or non-stick skillet, add 1 tablespoon of oil and brown the chicken thighs on both sides. Set them aside.
- Add the remaining oil and sweat onions and garlic on medium heat. Add the rice and keep cooking on medium heat.
- Add bell pepper and chorizo and keep cooking.
- Deglaze the pan with white wine (if using) and add tomato puree.
- Add the infused chicken stock. Season with salt, pepper and paprika. Return chicken to the pan and reduce to a gentle simmer. Cover pot with aluminium foil and cook until most of the liquid is absorbed and rice is al dente, about 15 minutes.
- Layer calamari rings around the top and cover for 1 minute. Season prawns with salt and pepper and layer them on top of the rice. Add the rest of the seafood and cover for about 5 minutes so that the steam cooks the prawns and warms the mussels and clams through. Shatter peas over the top and cover for a further 2 minutes to warm it through.
- Garnish with chopped parsley and lemon wedges. Serve immediately. Enjoy.
