Seafood Paella (Paella de Marisco)
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It’s no wonder paella is the national dish of Spain because this delicious and drop-dead gorgeous dish is simply phenomenal! This one-pot seafood paella recipe is authentic, easy to make and perfect for casual weeknights, romantic dinners or for entertaining!
For more paella deliciousness be sure to try my Valencian Paella and Squid Ink Paella!
What beats paella for a romantic night in? Prepare it together as a couple then sit down to enjoy it followed by dessert and a great movie. I’m speaking from experience, it makes for a great at-home date night! And this seafood paella recipe is guaranteed to be a date night hit!
Spanish cuisine is delicious and diverse as we came to discover as we toured through the country last summer, traveling from north to south, east to west, sampling foods along the way. As much as I enjoyed Spanish food before our most recent travels there, I’ve come to love and appreciate it even more since. Cookbook authors like Penelope Casas (you could say she’s the Julia Child of Spanish cooking) have done a great service by introducing us to the magnificent foods of Spain.
Our first stop in Spain: Beautiful Barcelona.
Though originating in Valencia, Paella is one of the most popular dishes served throughout Barcelona and for the locals, eating it is something of a social ritual: Friends get together to laugh and tell stories over a giant communal pan of paella.
Everyone has their own way of making paella and few Spaniards have even reached a consensus on the rules of paella-making. For example, onions or no onions? Smoked paprika or strictly the delicate flavor of the saffron?
But in terms of types of paella, the most popular ones include Valencian paella, seafood paella, mixed paella (meat and seafood), squid ink paella (coming up soon, folks!), and vegetarian paella.
You can readily find any of these versions throughout Barcelona and you’ll definitely want to sample each of them.
Traditionally paella was made over an open fire but Spanish cooks have found a way to replicate that flame-kissed flavor with the addition of smoked paprika. Today paella is commonly cooked on a grill, gas stove or portable gas burner and however divided even Spanish cooks may be on the ingredients, on thing everyone is agreed: The all-importance of the socarrat. That’s the golden-brown, crispy crust that forms on the bottom of the pan and is the most coveted part of the dish.
And for that reason if there is one cardinal rule of paella-making it is this: DO NOT STIR THE RICE. EVER.
Paella is served everywhere throughout Spain – from backyard gas burners and street vendors to the most upscale restaurants.
And it’s no wonder paella is the national dish of Spain – it’s deeeelicious!
Seafood Paella Recipe
Today we’re making a seafood paella. Paella really is very simple and straightforward to make, don’t let it intimidate you!
There are no rules about which seafood you use – feel free to choose your favorites. Commonly though a seafood paella will include a combination of shrimp, clams, mussels and often squid. Some will also add a few pieces of firm-fleshed fish to the mix. The choice is yours.
For our seafood paella recipe we’re using Barcelona’s very own brand of seafood paella cooking base: Aneto. We had the most amazing opportunity to tour Aneto’s entire factory in Spain (click the link to take our virtual tour) and for the last 3 years now Aneto has been the only brand of store-bought broth that we use and recommend. Why? Because they are the only brand that makes their broths the way we do in our own kitchen – with real, whole, fresh ingredients with absolutely nothing else added. You’ve already heard me rave again and again about their chicken broth and their Valencian paella cooking base. Next let me introduce you to their seafood cooking base.
Take a look at incredible combination of flavors. No need to add the all-important and expensive saffron to your paella – it’s already included in the cooking base. You will LOVE the vibrantly delicious, fresh and pure flavor of Aneto’s seafood paella cooking base.
Paella is an easy-to-make, one-pot dish that’s ready to serve in 30 minutes and cleanup is minimal. In fact, if you eat it the way it’s traditionally eaten, you don’t even need plates – everyone just digs in with a fork!
Paella is seriously one of the funnest dishes to make and once you’ve made it you’ll want to make it again and again. Give it a try and you’ll see what I mean!
Seafood Paella Recipe
Let’s get started!
Heat the oil in a pan (I’m using a 38 cm paella pan, ideal for serving 4-5 people) and cook the onions until soft and translucent, 3-4 minutes. Add the bell peppers and cook for another 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for a minute.
Next add the rice. For the best results use what is called bomba rice. It’s a special strain of short-grain rice grown in Spain and is widely considered the best for paella. Bomba rice absorbs three times its volume in liquid (for most rice it’s two times), yet the rice grains remain nice and firm rather than becoming mushy. For making paella, bomba rice is superior. (If despite your very best efforts you can’t find bomba rice, use arborio rice.)
(You should have seen me at the airport on our way back from Spain, packing all the bags of bomba rice and premium smoked paprika into our suitcases as our weight limits would allow – it was quite the sight!)
Once you’ve added the rice give it a stir until the rice grains are covered in oil. (This accomplishes three things: 1) It helps prevent the rice from releasing too much starch while cooking, 2) it helps prevent the rice from sticking together, and 3) it helps improve the texture of the rice by preventing it from becoming mushy.) Add the white wine and bring it to a boil for one minute.
Add the peas and smoked paprika and stir to combine. Spread the rice mixture out on the bottom of the pan so that it’s evenly distributed. Pour in the seafood paella cooking base.
Simmer the paella over medium-low heat until half of the liquid is absorbed.
It’s time to add the seafood. This time we’re using jumbo shrimp, mussels and clams.
And now for the all-important question: Remove the heads or leave them on? That’s a choice I’ll leave to you. Many restaurants leave them on for presentation. I tend to take a more practical approach and that is to limit the fuss involved for my guests. For that reason you may even choose to remove the tails.
Position the seafood the way you want it to appear in the final dish. Add the piquillo peppers.
Continue to simmer over medium-low heat for about another 20 minutes until the seafood is cooked through. Turn the pan every few minutes to position the different section over the flame to create that crispy bottom crust, the socarrat.
Remove from the heat and tent the pan with some aluminum foil for about 10 minutes.
Remove the foil, garnish with chopped parsley and serve with lemon wedges. Your seafood paella is ready to serve!
Enjoy!
For more Spanish recipes be sure to also try our:
Seafood Paella (Paella de Marisco)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
- 1 medium green bell pepper, seeds and membranes removed, diced
- 1 small red bell pepper, seeds and membranes removed, diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 1/2 cup Spanish bomba rice a special strain of short-grain rice grown in Spain that absorbs 30% more liquid than other rice yet remains nice and firm (if you can't find bomba, use the next best thing, arborio rice)
- 1/4 cup white wine
- 3/4 cup fresh or frozen peas
- 1 carton (34 ounce) Aneto Seafood Paella Cooking Base
- 3/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 10 large shrimp
- 10 mussels scrubbed
- 10 littleneck clams scrubbed
- 1/3 cup grilled piquillo peppers cut into thin strips
- Chopped parsley and lemon wedges for serving
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a pan (I'm using a 38 cm paella pan) and cook the onions until soft and translucent, 3-4 minutes. Add the bell peppers and cook for another 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for a minute.
- Add the rice and stir it around until the rice grains are covered in oil. (This accomplishes three things: 1) It helps prevent the rice from releasing too much starch while cooking, 2) it helps prevent the rice from sticking together, and 3) it helps improve the texture of the rice by preventing it from becoming mushy.) Add the white wine and bring it to a boil for one minute.
- Add the peas and smoked paprika and stir to combine. Spread the rice mixture out on the bottom of the pan so that it's evenly distributed. Pour in the Aneto Seafood Paella Cooking Base.
- Simmer the paella over medium-low heat until half of the liquid is absorbed.
- Position the seafood the way you want it to appear in the final dish. Add the piquillo peppers.
- Continue to simmer over medium-low heat for about another 20 minutes until the seafood is cooked through. Turn the pan every few minutes to position the different section over the flame to create that crispy bottom crust, the socarrat.
- Remove from the heat and tent the pan with some aluminum foil for about 10 minutes. Remove the foil and serve immediately garnished with some fresh parsley and lemon wedges.
Nutrition
Originally published March 23, 2017
Hi, I’m Kimberly Killebrew and welcome to Daring Gourmet where you'll find delicious originals, revitalized classics, and simply downright good eats from around the world! Originally from Germany, later raised in England, world-traveled, and now living in the U.S., from my globally-influenced kitchen I invite you to tour the world through your taste buds!
