Spanish Seafood Piaya Recipe

This Spanish Seafood Paella is a traditional rice dish filled with shrimp, shellfish, smoked sausage, and colorful veggies. Best of all, this incredible meal is super easy to make at home!

Comforting, healthy, and full of flavor, paella might just be the ultimate seafood dish. Originating in Valencia, Spain, it’s a very old peasant dish that can be made in many different ways depending on the meats and veggies that are in season. But, no matter how you make it, paella almost always features fragrant saffron and tender, short-grain rice, cooked to perfection with plenty of spices and seasonings.

Seafood paella is especially popular stateside, with a medley of delicate favorites like scallops, shrimp, chopped fish, calamari…all-the-yum! My easy at-home version uses shrimp, mussels, and clams, but for substitution ideas, please see the “Tips for Success” section below.

My Traditional Spanish Paella

If you feel a little intimidated by making paella, don’t be! This dish is actually pretty simple to make, and comes together all in one skillet (or paella pan, if you have one). But before we begin, let me warn you – you might just be blown away by the absolute deliciousness of this recipe! Let’s dive in – quick, before my mouth starts watering again.

Great question! Well, there are a few dominant flavors in paella, including the seafood and seafood stock, which add a nice ocean-y freshness; white wine, which gives a bit of depth; saffron, which has a golden, earthy, slightly sweet taste; and of course, the sausage and garlic, for a meaty and robust flavor. In other words? Devastatingly delicious.

So just what goes into this simple version of paella? Let’s take a closer look! Here’s the full list of ingredients in detail. (For the amounts and nutrition info, see the recipe card at the end of this post. It’s printable!)

Easy Seafood Paella

This recipe is so rewarding to make! There are a few steps and processes involved, but the overall cooking method is easy. Try this one for a fancy occasion or favorite holiday.

When it’s time to clean and purge the clams, this basically amounts to two easy steps, but be aware that the purging step takes over an hour. Scrubbing just means using a brush, a clean kitchen towel, or even a sturdy paper towel to rub away any dirt from the clam shells under cold, running water. Don’t use hot water. Purging means soaking the clams in salted water (one gallon of cold water with ⅓ cup salt dissolved in it) for half an hour. You have to repeat this step with a new batch of salted water two or three times to get all the grit and sand out of the clams. This is why I just go straight to the seafood counter and ask them to gimme the cleaned and ready to go mussels and clams. I suggest you do the same. 😊

Cleaning mussels is a bit easier than cleaning clams – all you have to do is rinse and scrub them well, and then remove any “beards” that they might have – little fuzzy bits clinging to the edge of the shell.

Spanish Paellas: + Recipe For Paella Valenciana

With rice dishes, especially those that are cooked uncovered, you may sometimes find that the rice cooks up crunchy, or maybe worse – mushy! If your rice is a bit crunchy, you can usually just add a small amount of water (¼ cup to ½ cup is a good place to start) and continue simmering it for another few minutes.

On the other hand, rice usually ends up mushy for one of a few different reasons, the main one being that there’s simply too much liquid, so you’ll want to watch out for that. This can also happen if you cover your rice – covering the rice prevents the water from evaporating and traps all of the moisture in the rice. That’s fine for some recipes, but not paella!

So, be sure to measure the water and rice carefully, and don’t cover it while it cooks. Finally, stirring rice while it cooks can cause it to give up too much starch, creating a sticky, mushy dish. Try not to stir your paella too much once the rice and liquid have been added.

Easy Seafood Paella Recipe

I hope you’re inspired to try your hand at this savory paella recipe! And as you plan for your grocery list and cooking, take a look at these easy tips and tricks to help you along the way.

Paella is so, so good, but what if you could serve it with something to make it even better? Look no further! Here’s a list of my favorite side dishes to bring out the best in homemade seafood paella.

You bet! Keep the paella in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and then reheat as described above.

Paella With Seafood, Chicken, And Chorizo Recipe

*The vast majority of clams, mussels, and oysters you buy at the grocery store have been purged already. You will almost never need to purge your clams if you bought them at a supermarket, but it’s always a good idea to double check.

Calories: 341 kcal | Carbohydrates: 39 g | Protein: 15 g | Fat: 12 g | Saturated Fat: 3 g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2 g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6 g | Trans Fat: 1 g | Cholesterol: 49 mg | Sodium: 1123 mg | Potassium: 364 mg | Fiber: 3 g | Sugar: 2 g | Vitamin A: 771 IU | Vitamin C: 26 mg | Calcium: 68 mg | Iron: 4 mg | Net Carbs: 36 g

Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.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!

Chicken And Seafood Paella With Chorizo

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.

. 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

Spanish Paella With Monkfish, Prawns, Squid And Mussels

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.

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

Classic Spanish Seafood Paella

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.

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.

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

Spanish Paella Recipe (seafood, Chicken, & Chorizo)

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.

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.

Paella With Spanish Passion Paella Spice Mix

). 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.

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.

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.

Seafood Paella: History, Recipe & Secret Tips To Make Paella De Mariscos!

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