Seafood Paella
Saffron rice cooked flat and undisturbed with prawns, mussels and squid, finished with a crisp socarrat on the base.
The single hardest instruction in paella is to leave it alone. Rice cooked in a wide flat pan without stirring absorbs stock evenly and forms socarrat, the caramelised crust on the base that Spaniards fight over. Stir it and you get risotto, which is a fine thing but not this. Everything else is preparation: a proper sofrito, good stock, bomba or another short absorbent rice, and enough patience to add the seafood in the order it actually needs.
Watch
Video coming soon
How to make Seafood Paella
Ingredients
Quantities scale automatically. Cooking times stay the same.
For the sofrito
For the rice
For the seafood
Equipment
- Paella pan or wide shallow skillet, 15 inch
- Small pan for the stock
- Tongs
Method
-
1
Warm the stock with saffron
Crumble the saffron into the hot stock and keep it barely simmering in a pan alongside. Adding cold stock to hot rice stalls the cook and gives you uneven grains.
-
2
Sear the seafood briefly
Heat the oil in the paella pan and sear the prawns for about 45 seconds a side, then the squid for a minute. Both should be barely coloured, not cooked through. Lift them out and set aside.
-
3
Build the sofrito
In the same pan cook the onion and pepper over medium heat for 8-10 minutes until soft. Add the garlic, then the grated tomato and the paprika, and cook 5-6 minutes more until it darkens to a thick jammy base with the oil separating.
-
4
Toast the rice
Tip in the rice and stir for 1-2 minutes so every grain is coated in the sofrito. This is the last time you will stir it.
-
5
Add stock and stop stirring
Pour in the hot saffron stock and the salt, shake the pan flat, and spread the rice into an even layer. Simmer briskly for 10 minutes, then lower the heat and cook 8 minutes more. Do not stir at any point from here.
-
6
Add the seafood back
Nestle the prawns, squid and mussels into the surface, hinge-side down for the mussels. Cover loosely with foil and cook 5-6 minutes until the mussels open; discard any that stay shut.
-
7
Make the socarrat and rest
Remove the foil and raise the heat to high for 60-90 seconds. Listen for a crackle and smell toasted rice, not burning. Take it off the heat, cover with a cloth and rest 5 minutes, then serve with lemon.
Cook’s tips
- Use a short absorbent rice such as bomba or calasparra. Risotto rice releases starch and turns creamy, which is the opposite of what paella wants.
- The rice layer should be shallow, around 1/2 inch. A deep layer steams unevenly and never forms socarrat, which is why a wide pan matters more than a heavy one.
- Bloom the saffron in a little warm stock for ten minutes before it goes in. Threads dropped in dry never give up their full colour or aroma.
Variations
- Paella mixta adds chicken thigh and chorizo, browned at the start before the sofrito.
- For paella de verduras, use artichokes, green beans and butter beans with a good vegetable stock.
- Add a spoonful of alioli at the table, though purists will tell you not to.
Storage and make-ahead
Best eaten the day it is made, since the seafood toughens on reheating and the socarrat softens. Leftovers keep 2 days refrigerated and are traditionally eaten cold or at room temperature rather than reheated. Do not freeze.
Nutrition per serving
| Calories | 542 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 38 g |
| Carbohydrates | 62 g |
| Fat | 14 g |
| Fibre | 3 g |
| Sugar | 5 g |
| Sodium | 940 mg |
Nutrition is estimated from ingredient averages and will vary with brands and portioning.
