Description
A delicious traditional seafood paella made with homemade stock, fresh seafood, and loaded with flavor.
Ingredients
For the Paella de Mariscos (Spanish Seafood Paella):
- ¼ cup olive oil + 1 tbsp, divided
- 1 lb fresh mussels, cleaned and rinsed
- ¼ cup water or dry white wine
- 1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
- ½ lb calamari, cut into 1” strips
- 2½ cups bomba rice (do not rinse)
- 5½ cups seafood stock
- ¼ cup fresh grated tomato (or canned pureed tomatoes)
- 6 garlic cloves, minced + 1 garlic clove, smashed
- 1 sprig parsley
- ½ medium onion, minced
- 3 roma tomatoes, diced
- 1 small guindilla or Anaheim pepper (can substitute for ½ green bell pepper), deseeded and diced
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 pinch saffron, about 10-15 threads (can substitute for 1 tsp turmeric or yellow food coloring)
- 2 tsp Spanish smoked paprika
- Sauce from canned mussels (optional, but the sauce adds a great level of flavor to the dish)
- Salt to taste
For the Quick Aioli:
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 1 garlic clove, grated
- Juice from ½ lemon
- Salt to taste
Instructions
For the Spanish Seafood Paella:
- Start by prepping the mussels. Add mussels to a large bowl and add enough water to cover. Season with salt and cover to let sit for 20 minutes, to purge the mussels of any excess sand. Drain and rinse.
- To a large pot over medium heat, add 1 tbsp olive oil, the smashed garlic clove, and sprig of parsley. Once shimmering, add the mussels, ¼ cup of water or white wine, and cover. Cook for 4-8 minutes or until all mussels have opened. Discard any unopened mussels. Strain the liquid into a measuring cup and set aside. You should have about ½ cup of liquid.
- To a small bowl, add the saffron, crushing with your fingers to break it up slightly. Add a few ice cubes and let sit to steep as the ice melts.
- Now start on your paella. In a large paella pan over medium high heat, add in 2 tbsps of olive oil. Add the shrimp in a single layer and season with salt. Cook for about 2 minutes per side, until you get some color on both sides of the shrimp. Remove and set aside.
- Add the calamari to the pan with a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes until cooked through, then remove.
- Add 2 tbsps of olive oil to the middle of the pan and add the chopped onions and peppers with a pinch of salt. Sauté for 3-4 minutes or until softened. Add the chopped roma tomatoes and cook for another 3-4 minutes.
- Add in the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes until fragrant, then add the smoked paprika to toast in the oil and sauteed veggies. After a minute, add the grated tomato and cook for 1-2 minutes or until the liquid has evaporated slightly.
- Add the saffron, seafood stock, liquid from the mussels, and liquid from the canned mussels and stir to combine. Season with salt to taste.
- Increase the heat to high, and bring the mixture to a boil. Add the rice evenly (doing this in a star formation helps to spread the rice out). Use a spatula if needed to gently spread the rice into a single layer, but do not stir.
- Cook over medium high heat for 8 minutes, then reduce the heat to medium low and cover, cooking for 5-7 minutes or until the rice is al dente.
- With about 2 minutes left, while there is still a little liquid left in the pan, arrange the mussels, calamari, and shrimp around the paella pan. If you want soccarrat (the crunchy rice bits), crank the heat up for the last 2-3 minutes.
- When the rice is done, shut the heat off and let the paella sit covered for 10 minutes to allow the paella to rest and finish fully cooking.
- Meanwhile, make your aioli by mixing the mayonnaise, lemon juice, grated garlic and a pinch of salt.
- Serve the paella with lemon slices and aioli.