Seafood Paella

Authentic Seafood Paella Recipe

Maybe I'm wrong but I think that paella and tortilla de patatas are the most representative dishes of Spanish gastronomy and I couldn't opt for either of them, I love them!

Paella is a rice cooked in the "paellera", a shallow iron container with two handles, although in Valencia where paella is one of the most traditional dishes they also call this type of frying pan "paella". To this rice you can add the seafood you like, depending on the season we can find one or the other in the market, and you can always resort to frozen.

Recipe from paellarecipes.top

Ingredients

• 1 white onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced or finely chopped
• 2 tomatoes, peeled and chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• Salt, to taste
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• A few strands of saffron
• 4 small squid, clean
• 2 cups of rice
• 3 cups fish broth or chicken broth, (or more if needed)
• 250 ml of white wine
• 12 cooked jumbo shrimps (unpeeled)
• 16 mussels, clean

How to make a seafood paella:

We start by making the sofrito. To do this, fry the finely chopped onion in the hot oil. We remove the onion with a wooden spoon frequently, so that it does not burn, and we leave it until it begins to take color.

Then add the finely chopped garlic and, before it starts to take colour, add the chopped tomatoes.

Add the sugar (to neutralize the acidity of the tomato), salt to taste, paprika and a few strands of saffron.

Stir all the ingredients and let them fry until the tomatoes are reduced and begin to sizzle.

It is time to cut the squid and clean. Cut the body into rings and leave the legs whole. Add the squid and let it cook for a few minutes.

Add the rice and distribute throughout the paella pan so that the grains adhere to the ingredients.

Heat the broth together with the wine in a separate saucepan, and when it is hot pour it into the paella.

Increase the temperature and add more salt. Stir everything again so that the rice is well covered by the broth, and when it comes to the boil, lower the temperature and let everything simmer for 18 to 20 minutes.

It is important to move the paella pan over the entire cooking surface during cooking so that the rice cooks evenly.

After 10 minutes of cooking, add the cooked prawns on top until they turn pink, then turn them over so that they are done on the other side.

If we see that it is needed because it is very dry, we pour a little more broth towards the end of cooking.

After 20 minutes, taste the rice and if it is well done turn off the fire and cover the paella pan with a cloth or aluminum foil to rest.

Steam the mussels with a finger of water in a pan with the lid on, and when they open, place them on top of the paella (discard those that do not open).

Serve the paella after 5 minutes of rest.