Cooking Paella

The authenticity of paella is gauged by the community it builds. What better way to enjoy your friends than to sit around the communal paella and share it together? Is that not what life is all about?

Paella originated in the countryside long ago. Farmhands made a fire in fields at lunchtime and simmered the local short grained rice in a flat pan. They added whatever edibles were at hand – snails might be added as well as artichokes and other local vegetables; or perhaps a stray chicken or a rabbit caught in the fields. Along the shore fishermen would embellish their paellas with fish and seafood.

Seafood

As tourists from other parts of Spain vacationed on the Mediterranean coast in the summer, the dish spread throughout other regions of Spain. Variations have evolved to include locally available produce. In Sevilla and Cádiz they add big prawns and langostinos. Along the Costa del Sol, mussels, prawns, ñora peppers and lemons became favored ingredients.

Spanish Paella Recipe

Today paella has universal appeal with literally hundreds of regional variations. Other than a couple of key ingredients, it is the preparation that makes the difference. But do not be intimidated, if you use authentic ingredients to start with, you do not need to be a master chef to prepare something delightful for your friends and family. You will have fun experimenting - it can even be a common project, with everyone pitching in to prepare a perfect feast.

Remember, paella is a simple rice dish, and it is yours to prepare. If you use authentic ingredients, there is no such thing as failure – each one is unique. So keep it simple, but do not cut corners.

Paella recipes: There are literally hundreds of paella recipes and every cook has their own favorite recipe. At . com we've collected some of our favorite paella recipes, we recommend trying them all to discover the full variety of Spanish Paella!!! 

Seafood And Chorizo Paella Recipe

Which Paella pan should I use? After receiving many inquires on what are the right size and characteristics for a paella pan, we've made a bit of research, and retrieved some information on that issue. We usually use regular, 15-inches paella pan, but we've managed to find some other sizes also. So if you want to find out which paella pan size suits you best, just keep reading... There is no dish more famous than this Spanish seafood paella. Fortunately, it’s easier than you might think to make this mouthwatering dish from scratch in under an hour!

If you love paella, you'll definitely want to try my recipes for black paella, vegetable paella, and prawn and chorizo paella (my mother-in-law's favorite).

Even though this big plate of fragrant, saffron-infused rice is one of the most famous Spanish dishes, a goodpaella is often hard to find! That answer always leads to confused stares, but it’s true.

Mediterranean Diet: Valencia Takes Paella To The Next Level

. It became popular on the sunny beaches of Valencia and Barcelona with visitors from around the world. This variation of paella is packed with fresh fish, shrimp, squid, mussels, and clams, but

If you’d like to see the full ingredients and instructions, scroll to the bottom of the post for the printable recipe card.

8. There are different opinions on the best method here, but I like to mix it into the sauce and cook it for a minute or so.

Grilled Paella Mixta (mixed Paella With Chicken And Seafood) Recipe

9. Add the broth mixture to the pan, and don't stir! This is key: once the broth is in, no stirring is allowed.

12. In the meantime, steam the mussels in a pot. Simmer a little water or wine, then add the closed mussels and cover. After a few minutes, the mussels will open. If any stay shut, simply discard.

Paella

13. Place the cooked mussels on the paella in a decorative way. When the rice has cooked for 18-20 minutes total, it should be done.

Chicken And Seafood Paella With Chorizo

To get the perfect crispy bottom (socarrat), put it back on medium-high heat after the 3-minute rest. As soon as you hear crackling (some say it sounds like rain), remove it from the heat. This means you'll have a crispy

The secret ingredients in a great paella are using homemade sofrito, using real saffron instead of food coloring, and using homemade seafood stock instead of plain water to add extra flavor. There's also a special cooking technique you can use to make the perfect

My recipe for seafood paella doesn't contain fish; I prefer to use squid (calamari) instead in addition to prawns and mussels. However, you can use any type of firm fish that you'd like, such as monkfish.

Smoky Budget Bootstrap Paella

How many does this recipe serve? This seafood paella recipe serves 4 people as a main dish, or 6 as a starter. You can plate in advance, or (what I prefer) is bringing the whole pan to the table and serving it family style.

). We order a paella for the table (prices are usually per person) and a bunch of tapas to eat while we wait for the rice to be prepared.

The

If you order a menú del día (a fixed price lunch menu) during the week, paella is usually served as the first course, with either meat or fish to follow as the main. In this case, you get a small portion of a large paella they've made in the kitchen and not a whole pan at your table.

Camp Cooking: Easy Campfire Paella

What tapas go well with paella? Typical tapas served with paella include cold soups (gazpacho or salmorejo), fried foods (croquettes or patatas bravas), or salads (ensalada mixta or ensaladilla rusa). Check out my other tapas recipes for other ideas.

Make Ahead: You can prepare the sofrito for seafood paella in advance, but I don't recommend preparing the entire paella. If not eaten immediately, it is easy for the rice to become overcooked and soft.

Reheating: Heat up leftover paella on the stove or in the microwave. I recommend taking it out of the fridge about 30 minutes before reheating, then put some olive oil in a frying pan and gently stir fry the paella until warmed through.

Vegetarian Paella Recipe

This easy seafood paella recipe will get you a plate of rice every bit as delicious as the stuff served in tapas bars from Barcelona to Valencia! Just make sure to bring an empty stomach.

Calories: 620.73 kcal | Carbohydrates: 84.56 g | Protein: 14.35 g | Fat: 19.66 g | Saturated Fat: 2.84 g | Cholesterol: 53.38 mg | Sodium: 928.04 mg | Potassium: 452.35 mg | Fiber: 2.7 g | Sugar: 5.06 g | Vitamin A: 1297.2 IU | Vitamin C: 13.66 mg | Calcium: 81.03 mg | Iron: 2.76 mgHave you ever been obsessed with a dish even though you’ve never eaten it? For me, that dish was paella. It was one of those food bucket list items – I don’t remember how or why I became so obsessed with having paella from its birthplace of Valencia, but I’m pretty sure it has something to do with the fact that paella is so pretty and such an iconic dish. It’s so iconic that people around the world think of it as the quintessential Spanish dish, even though it’s actually more Valencian. I mean, Valencia is in Spain, so it’s all good to me.

How

A couple of years ago Mike and I went to Valencia and the first thing we ate was paella! We literally got off the train and went to a paella restaurant. On the way there, there were a bunch of Valencian orange trees that had some pretty tempting looking oranges but apparently the orange trees that line the streets of Valencia are not the same sweet ones that they use for juice. Anyway, the paella in Spain was as good as I imagined. So good that all of our meals in Valencia were either paella or Spanish churros dipped in chocolate.

Seafood Paella With Chorizo On The Bbq

The paella was all things good: juicy seasoned meats, tender-crisp beans, and the best part, saffron scented rice with crispy toasty rice bits. It was a dream come true.

Paella, pronounced pay-EH-yah! is a rice dish made in a shallow, wide pan over an open fire. Paella means “frying pan” in Valencian. Traditionally, paella includes short grain rice, green beans, rabbit, chicken, and saffron, but nowadays there are a huge number of variations, from seafood to vegetarian. I made a mixta paella here, which is essentially a mixed paella that has meat, seafood, and vegetables.

Because paella is truly all about the rice, the rice is the most important ingredient. Bomba rice, from Spain, is the best choice. It absorbs 3 times as much liquid than regular rice giving it 3 times as much flavor when all the liquid is absorbed. Plus cooked right, it stays firm and al dente. You can usually find bomba rice at Whole Foods or online.

Big Paella With Seafood And Chicken Recipe

There’s a lot of controversy about what kind of protein goes into paella. If you’re not super concerned about authenticity you can customize your paella and put anything you want it. If you’re going with chorizo try to get a Spanish chorizo, which is dried and cured. But if you only have Mexican chorizo available, I think that’s okay too. Purists say that chorizo