This delectable seafood paella recipe with juicy shrimp, chewy mussels, and tender octopus will deliver Spanish fine-dining straight to your kitchen. It has all the normal components, like tender saffron rice, however solely takes 45 minutes!
Why You’ll Love This Seafood Paella Recipe
The candy veggies and saffron infused rice completely complement the savory seafood, creating this irresistible conventional Latin dish! Right here’s why you’ll love this recipe:
- Household Recipe: That is my Abuela’s paella recipe! Every chunk is stuffed with conventional flavors, juicy seafood and tender rice infused with saffron. There are MANY variations to Paella! Please be respectful that my recipe could also be completely different from yours!
- One Pot: You should use a paella pan or a big skillet, however both means — you’ll solely have to soiled one pot making this traditional.
- Fast: Whereas conventional paella can take so long as 5 hours, this recipe solely requires 45 minutes!
- Hearty: Loaded with shrimp, mussels, octopus, peppers, peas, and many tender yellow rice, nobody is leaving the desk hungry.
- Ideally suited For Gatherings: Serve paella immediately from the pan, permitting everybody to assist themselves to as a lot paella as they need. It at all times feeds a crowd!
On the lookout for extra Latin classics? Do that traditional arroz con pollo, juicy pernil and caldo de pollo!
What Is Paella?
Paella is a standard rice dish from Valencia, Spain. Its fundamental attribute is the yellow, saffron-infused rice cooked with greens and completely different proteins. The underside of a paella has a layer of crispy toasted rice, referred to as socarrat, that’s arguably the perfect half! Cooked in a particular rice pan referred to as “paellera”, paella is made in massive batches to share with family and friends for lunch or dinner. No sides are wanted, however somewhat garlic bread on the aspect is a tasty addition!
For add-ins, seafood like shrimp, mussels, clams, and octopus are fairly widespread. Some sorts of paella even have rooster and spicy chorizo. Veggies like peas, carrots, and bell peppers are added too for much more taste.
Recipe Components
You solely want a tiny little bit of saffron nevertheless it makes all of the distinction. Scroll all the way down to the recipe card for precise quantities.
- Olive oil: Be happy to make use of avocado oil.
- Greens: Recent garlic, yellow onion (or a white onion, crimson bell pepper and frozen peas. If utilizing canned peas as a substitute, rinse and drain them properly.
- Seasonings: Smoked paprika, seafood bouillon (or rooster bouillon) and saffron threads. If crucial, substitute 1 teaspoon saffron powder.
- Inventory: Use low-sodium seafood or veggie inventory. Rooster inventory may also work.
- White Wine: It must be dry. Candy wines will make the rice style unusual.
- Paella Rice: Spanish paella Bomba rice is finest, however Calasparra rice or arborio rice will work too. You need to use a short-grain or medium-grain rice. Don’t use a long-grain rice.
- Shrimp: Use medium or massive shrimp. Keep away from cocktail shrimp.
- Mussels: Be happy to make use of pre-cooked.
- Octopus: Recent or frozen. You can too use squid!
- Garnishes: Lemon wedges and contemporary parsley, if desired.
The right way to Make Seafood Paella
Be sure the veggies are softened in order that they don’t style uncooked or really feel under-cooked when the seafood paella is finished. Scroll to the recipe card at backside of the submit for full detailed directions.
- Sauté: Add the olive oil to a big spherical pan over medium-high warmth. Sauté the onion, garlic, and bell pepper, till softened.
- Season: Combine in paprika, saffron, and bouillon. Add the inventory and white wine. Carry to a low boil.
- Simmer: Stir within the rice and simmer it. Keep away from extra stirring when you cook dinner the rice and don’t cowl it. This permits the rice to create a crispy golden rice layer on the backside of the pan.
- Seafood: Place the shrimp, mussels, octopus, and peas on prime of the rice. Barely cowl the pan to forestall mushiness, however nonetheless retain warmth. Proceed to cook dinner paella till the shrimp turns pink.
- End: Uncover the pan utterly and lift the warmth for only a minute to assist crisp the socarrat — crispy rice on the underside. Take away from the range, cowl, and let it relaxation for five minutes.
- Serve: Serve with a lemon wedge and a sprinkle of contemporary parsley.
Cooks’ Ideas
Not rinsing the rice is likely to be counter-intuitive, nevertheless it’ll give the paella an genuine starchy consistency. Listed below are some ideas to make sure your paella seems excellent:
- Paella Pan: Paella is historically cooked in a big paella pan to permit the rice to cook dinner extra evenly. Nevertheless, any massive (12 inches at minimal) spherical skillet with shallow sides will work! Don’t use a skillet like a wok, you need a flat even floor.
- Don’t Rinse: In contrast to most sorts of rice, don’t wash your rice for paella. You need it to be starchy to have the fitting texture!
- Leftover Shrimp: If you happen to’ve acquired leftover grilled shrimp, add them to the paella proper earlier than serving (to keep away from overcooking).
- Prep Forward: Chop all of the substances upfront to avoid wasting time all through the week.
- Soak The Rice: I don’t suggest soaking your rice. I’ve learn many recipes that counsel it, however when I’ve tried it, my rice is mushy as soon as cooked.
- Do Not Cowl: Depart your pan uncovered whereas cooking paella. If you happen to cowl it, your rice will take up an excessive amount of of the cooking liquid and won’t have the proper texture. I do place a lid on once I add the seafood, however solely partially, I by no means absolutely cowl the pan.
Variations
Need to add completely different proteins or add extra veggies? Listed below are some concepts:
- Swap The Broth: If you happen to’re out of seafood and veggie inventory, use rooster broth and even water. So long as you might be including seafood bouillon, your paella will nonetheless be flavorful!
- Extra Veggies: Diced carrots, diced contemporary tomatoes and corn kernels are nice methods to make this recipe even heartier.
- Rooster: Add chopped rooster breasts for an additional conventional kind of paella. Add the uncooked rooster, lower into chunk measurement items, with the greens and sauté for five minutes earlier than persevering with with the recipe.
- Chorizo: That is sliced chorizo sausage, not floor Mexican chorizo! You possibly can add this while you would add the seafood because it’s already dried and cured.
- Spicy: It’s not very conventional to have spicy paella, however nothing’s stopping you when you prefer it spicy! Attempt including cayenne pepper, crimson pepper flakes, or chopped jalapeños for some warmth!
The right way to Retailer & Reheat Leftovers
Paella is finest the day after it’s made, so leftovers are a win! If you happen to handle to avoid wasting for later, right here’s find out how to retailer it:
- Fridge: Place cooled paella in an hermetic container and retailer within the fridge for as much as 3 days. Don’t retailer it longer, because it has a number of seafood with completely different spoilage timelines.
- Freezer: Switch it to a freezer-friendly container. Freeze it for as much as 3 months. Thaw it within the fridge in a single day earlier than reheating. Don’t reheat from frozen!
- Reheat: Place paella in a pan with somewhat oil over medium-high warmth. Prepare dinner with the lid on for 7 to eight minutes, stirring often, till warmed by way of. You can too microwave it in 30-second intervals till heat.
Extra Seafood Dishes To Attempt
Yield: 8 servings
Seafood Paella
This seafood paella recipe is an easy model of Spain’s nationwide rice dish! Every chunk is stuffed with conventional flavors, juicy seafood and tender rice infused with saffron. The underside layer of crispy toasted rice, referred to as socarrat, could be the perfect half! There are MANY variations to Paella. Please be respectful that my recipe could also be completely different from yours!
Components
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 small crimson bell pepper, seeded and diced
- 1 ½ teaspoons smoked paprika, divided
- 1 massive pinch of saffron, crushed
- 1 ½ teaspoons seafood bouillon, divided
- 3 cups seafood inventory, or vegetable inventory
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 1 ½ cups Bomba rice, examine under for extra choices
- 12 jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 12 mussels, rinsed and scrubbed
- 8 oz uncooked or cooked octopus or squid, lower into small items
- ½ cup frozen peas
- 2 lemon wedges, for serving
- 1 tablespoons chopped parsley, elective garnish
Directions
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Warmth the olive oil over medium-high warmth in a paella pan, or an additional massive skillet (learn notes under for assist selecting a pan). Add the onion, garlic and bell pepper and sauté for 4 minutes, till softened.
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Stir within the paprika, saffron, bouillon, inventory and white wine. Carry to a low boil.
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Stir within the rice and simmer for quarter-hour. You need a crusty layer of rice to type on the underside of the pan, referred to as socarrat to type, so keep away from stirring an excessive amount of. Solely stir just a few occasions max, as wanted.
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Nestle the shrimp, mussels, octopus and peas in with the rice and place the lid offset on prime of the pan. (It will assist maintain the warmth in, however enable the steam to flee so that you don’t find yourself with mushy paella!) Proceed cooking for 10 minutes, or simply till the shrimp turns pink.
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Take away the lid and switch the warmth to excessive for 1 minute (to assist crisp the socarrat). Take away the pan from the warmth, cowl and let it sit for five minutes. Then serve with a lemon wedge and sprinkle of contemporary parsley, if desired.
Notes
Freeze: Switch it to a freezer-friendly container. Freeze it for as much as 3 months. Thaw it within the fridge in a single day earlier than reheating. Don’t reheat from frozen!
Reheat: Place paella in a pan with somewhat oil over medium-high warmth. Prepare dinner with the lid on for 7 to eight minutes, stirring often, till warmed by way of. You can too microwave it in 30-second intervals till heat
Paella Pan: Paella is historically cooked in a big paella pan to permit the rice to cook dinner extra evenly. Nevertheless, any massive (12 inches at minimal) spherical skillet with shallow sides will work! Don’t use a skillet like a wok, you need a flat even floor.
Paella Rice: Spanish paella Bomba rice is finest, however Calasparra rice or arborio rice will work too. You need to use a short-grain or medium-grain rice. Don’t use a long-grain rice.
Don’t Rinse: In contrast to most sorts of rice, don’t wash your rice for paella. You need it to be starchy to have the fitting texture!
Do Not Cowl: Depart your pan uncovered whereas cooking paella. If you happen to cowl it, your rice will take up an excessive amount of of the cooking liquid and won’t have the proper texture. I do place a lid on once I add the seafood, however solely partially, I by no means absolutely cowl the pan.
Rooster: Add chopped rooster breasts for an additional conventional kind of paella. Add the uncooked rooster, lower into chunk measurement items, with the greens and sauté for five minutes earlier than persevering with with the recipe.
Chorizo: That is sliced chorizo sausage, not floor Mexican chorizo! You possibly can add this while you would add the seafood because it’s already dried and cured.
Vitamin
Serving: 1 serving, Energy: 323kcal, Carbohydrates: 37g, Protein: 27g, Fats: 6g, Saturated Fats: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fats: 1g, Monounsaturated Fats: 3g, Trans Fats: 0.003g, Ldl cholesterol: 55mg, Sodium: 1169mg, Potassium: 289mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 662IU, Vitamin C: 21mg, Calcium: 46mg, Iron: 4mg
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