If you’ve never tried paella, it’s safe to say that you don’t know what you’re missing out on. One of the most popular “free-style” foods to make, it can be customized in almost any way imaginable and has been gaining popularity in the United States and other parts of the western world in recent months.
Before we dive into a seafood paella recipe that you’re sure to fall in love, it’s probably good that I tell you not to be intimidated by the list of ingredients. The list of ingredients is long, but the outcome of the dish is superb. It’s easy to cook once you’ve gotten everything prepared. With that said, let’s jump in and see what seafood paella is all about.
Olive Oil
Before we start chopping and dicing our food, it’s worthwhile knowing that many paella dishes are based around the taste of the olive oil
used to make them. You can experiment with different oils and flavors if you’d like. If you’re unsure of what type of olive oil is best to use, we recommend using oil from a company called Zoe. Their organic extra virgin olive oil is to die for and has one of the most distinct and rich flavors out of any olive oil I’ve ever tasted. And for the price it’s a great way to have top quality olive oil in your kitchen for use whenever you need it.
Ingredients
- 5 tablespoons of olive oil
- ½ teaspoon of pepper
- ½ teaspoon of salt
- ½ tablespoon saffron
- 2 tablespoons of chopped garlic
- ½ pound chicken breast (boneless and skinless)
- ¼ cup of diced onions
- 1 cup parboiled rice
- ½ cup of chopped red peppers
- 1 pound shrimp
- 12 mussels
- 12 clams
- ½ pound of smoked sausage
- 6 blue crabs (clean them and halve them)
- ½ cup finely sliced celery
- 1 pound of shrimp
- 2 cups of chicken stock
Process
Alright, now that you have all of your ingredients in order, it’s time to put them on the grill to get them ready for a delicious dinner. When doing this entire process, it’s a good idea to have a large pan on hand as all of the ingredients will take up a lot of space once they’re added to the pan.
1. First, you’re going to want to put your olive oil onto the pan and bring it to a light simmer.
2. Next, toss in your chicken breast slices and cook them all the way through until they have a nice golden color to them all the way around.
3. Once the chicken is finished cooking, toss in your onions, garlic, and peppers to the mixture and cook those as well. Saute everything for another two minutes.
4. After the sauté has completed, pour in the chicken stock, rice, and saffron. Bring the mixture to a boil and move onto the next step.
5. The final part of the preparation process is to toss in the remaining ingredients, including the crab, shrimp, clams, mussels, sausage, salt, and pepper. With the mixture boiling in the chicken broth, reduce the heat down to medium low and let it simmer for about 25-30 minutes.
Beverage
A popular accompaniment to paella is a glass of malt or non-alcoholic ginger beer. The goal is to have one that’s dry enough to cleanse the pallet before the paella, as paella dishes are usually chock full of flavors that need appreciating by themselves.
If non-alcoholic beer or malt isn’t your thing, you can always pick up some pita bread or naan bread from your local grocer to serve alongside the rice dish. As said in the previous paragraph, the goal is to keep the eater’s attention on the dish itself rather than on the side items that accompany it too. We hope you enjoy your paella!