Quick Paella With Shrimp Mussels Recipes

QUICK AND EASY PAELLA

Steps:

• Cook and stir reserved shrimp shells and 2 teaspoons olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat until shells are pink and fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir saffron into shells; add chicken broth, bring to a simmer, and cook until broth is a rusty brown and fragrant, about 20 minutes.
• Strain saffron broth through a fine-mesh sieve; measure out 2 cups of broth, pour into a small saucepan, and place over low heat to keep broth hot.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
• Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large, oven-proof skillet over medium heat. Cook chorizo slices in hot oil until browned, about 2 minutes per side. Add onion to sausage; cook and stir until soft and slightly translucent, about 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low.
• Stir garlic into chorizo mixture; cook and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add rice to skillet and stir to coat rice completely in oil; stir in peas.
• Pat rice mixture evenly into the bottom of the skillet. Arrange shrimp in a single layer over the top of the rice. Lay pepper strips around and in between shrimp; season with salt, paprika, and cayenne pepper.
• Increase heat to high. When rice begins to sizzle in the skillet, pour reserved 2 cups hot saffron broth over the shrimp; gently shake the skillet to distribute liquid.
• Bake rice mixture in the preheated oven until rice is almost tender and still a bit wet, about 20 minutes.
• Place skillet over medium-high and cook until rice is tender, liquid is absorbed, and rice caramelizes and crusts slightly on the bottom of the skillet, 3 to 5 minutes.

QUICK PAELLA WITH SHRIMP & MUSSELS

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened, about 3 minutes. Add rice, broth, thyme, salt, pepper and saffron and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cover and cook for 5 minutes.
• Stir in shrimp and peas. Place mussels on top of the rice in an even layer. Cover and continue cooking until the mussels have opened and the rice is tender, about 5 minutes more. Remove from the heat and let rest, covered, until most of the liquid is absorbed, about 5 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges, if desired.

PAELLA WITH MUSSELS AND SHRIMP

Steps:

• Set aside 16 of the mussels. Pour the wine into a large skillet, add the remaining mussels, cover, and cook over high heat for 5 to 7 minutes or until the mussels open. Tip the cooking broth into a 4-cup measuring cup. Add enough clam juice to make 3 cups. Return the broth to the skillet. Add the saffron, and warm over low heat. Remove the mussel meat from the open shells; chop it coarsely. Set the oven at 400 degrees F. Coarsely chop half of one egg; set aside. Slice the remaining eggs for garnish. In a large paella pan or cast-iron skillet, heat the oil over high heat. Add the shrimp and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Remove from the pan. Add the garlic, onion, green pepper, 1 1/2 teaspoons of the rosemary, and salt. Lower the heat to medium and cook the mixture for 3 minutes. Add the tomato and parsley and cook 1 minute. Stir in the paprika and rice until the grains are coated all over. Pour in the hot broth, bring to a boil, and boil for about 2 minutes, stirring. Taste for salt and add the shrimp, chopped egg, and scallions. Continue to boil, stirring occasionally and rotating the pan if it is too big for one burner, for 3 minutes more or until the rice isn't soupy but sufficient liquid remains. Stir in the peas and set the pimiento and whole mussels on top. Transfer the pan to the oven and cook for 10 to 12 minutes or until the rice is almost tender. Transfer to a warm spot, scatter with the sliced egg and the remaining rosemary, and let the paella sit for 5 to 10 minutes. Return the pan to a burner and cook over high heat for 2 to 3 minutes, rotating the pan to evenly crisp the bottom of the rice. NOTE: Contrary to popular belief, traditional Spanish paella does not mix meats and seafood. This paella depends on mussel meat for most of its flavor. The crust of rice on the bottom of the pan, called soccarat, is considered a delicacy in Spain. Even with the long list of ingredients, the dish is not difficult. Pimenton, Spanish smoked paprika, is available at specialty markets.

SUNNY'S EASY MUSSELS AND SHRIMP PAELLA POUCHES

Steps:

• For the seafood: Combine the olive oil, paprika, garlic, lemon zest, a pinch of salt and a few grinds of black pepper in a small bowl. Combine the frozen mussels and shrimp (still frozen) in a large bowl and drizzle the mixture over the top. Toss the seafood to evenly coat.
• For the pouches: Lay four 16- to 20-inch-long pieces of nonstick aluminum foil out on a flat surface and top each one with a piece of parchment paper the same size. Divide the ingredients equally amongst each pouch, starting with the onions in the center of each in a 3-by-5-inch rectangle. Top the onions with the tomato halves, a pinch of salt, rice, peas, then seafood. To close, pull the long sides up over the mixture to meet and fold down together leaving some room for steam (about an inch above your pile), then close the short ends and fold upwards for easy opening.
• Set the oven or grill to 375 degrees F.
• Arrange the pouches on a baking sheet if using the oven, just in case you have a tiny spill. Bake or place the pouches over the indirect heat and cook for 25 minutes. Remove one and open gently; if the mussels are not open and the shrimp are still a bit underdone, close and continue to cook for 5 more minutes. Remove the pouches, and, when cool enough to handle, open and spritz with lemon and garnish with parsley.

QUICK PAELLA WITH CHORIZO, SHRIMP AND CHICKEN

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the chorizo and cook until it releases its fat. 8 to 10 minutes. Add the chicken, onions and garlic and brown the chicken on all sides, about 10 minutes.
• Add the rice and toast for 30 seconds. Add the tomato paste, followed by the saffron and then the wine, stirring. Add the chicken stock, cover and cook--no stirring--for 20 to 25 minutes. By then the rice should be almost done.
• Add the shrimp, mussels and peas and continue to cook until the rice is fluffy and the mussels have opened. Season with salt and pepper. Finish with the scallions and serve.

GRILLED PAELLA WITH CHICKEN, CHORIZO, SHRIMP AND MUSSELS

Steps:

• Preheat a grill to medium on one side and medium high on the other side. If using charcoal, stack the briquettes so they are layered at least halfway up to the grates.
• Remove 4 wide strips of zest from the lemons, then cut the lemons in half and set aside. Combine the chicken broth, lemon zest strips and the saffron in a medium saucepan. Peel the shrimp, leaving the tails intact, then add the shells to the saucepan. Devein the shrimp, place in a bowl, season with salt and pepper and refrigerate until ready to grill. Heat the broth mixture over medium-low heat until steaming; cook 25 to 30 minutes, reducing the heat as needed if the broth starts to simmer. Strain into a large measuring cup or heatproof container.
• Meanwhile, combine the bell pepper, onion, tomatoes and garlic in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Put the chicken in a large bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and the smoked paprika.
• Grill the lemon halves and chicken over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until the lemon halves are charred, 3 to 5 minutes, and the chicken skin is golden brown and crisp, 15 to 17 minutes. Remove to a plate.
• Meanwhile, set a 15-inch paella pan on the grill grates over medium heat and add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add the chorizo and cook, flipping once, until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the tomato mixture, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the juices have almost evaporated, about 10 minutes. Add the wine and cook until the liquid is evaporated, 3 to 4 more minutes. Add the rice and a big pinch of salt; stir to combine and toast lightly, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the strained broth and stir to combine. Close the grill and cook without stirring, rotating the pan 180 degrees halfway through, until the rice is plumped and about half of the liquid is absorbed, 6 to 8 minutes.
• Stir in the olives and peas. Nestle the chicken, shrimp and mussels in the rice. Grill, covered and rotating the pan 180 degrees halfway through, until the shrimp and chicken are cooked through and the mussels have opened, 10 to 20 more minutes (discard any mussels that do not open).
• Remove the paella from the grill and top with the parsley. Serve with the grilled lemon halves.

RICK BAYLESS' MEXICAN PAELLA WITH SHRIMP, MUSSELS, AND CHORIZO

Steps:

• The broth and flavorings. In a large (12-quart) stock pot, combine the broth and salt. Measure in 1 gallon of water, cover the pot and set over medium-low heat.
• Roast the fresh tomatoes on a rimmed baking sheet 4 inches below a preheated broiler until blackened and blistered, about 6 minutes per side. Cool, then peel (if you wish). Scoop the tomatoes (fresh roasted or canned roasted) into a blender or food processor, along with all their juices. Puree and set aside.
• Roast the poblanos over a gas flame or 4 inches below a preheated broiler, turning frequently, until blackened all over, about 5 minutes for the open flame, 10 minutes under the broiler. Collect in a bowl and cover with a kitchen towel. When cool rub off the blackened skin and pull out the stem and seed pod, then tear the chiles open, scrape out the seeds and rinse briefly under cold water to remove stray bits of skin and seeds. Chop into ½-inch pieces.
• Brown the chicken. Sprinkle the skin side of the chicken thighs with salt. Set the paella pan over the burner or wood fire-the burner set on high, the wood fire stoked to an impressive blaze. Give the pan a minute or so to heat up, then add the olive oil. Tip the pan to distribute the oil, then immediately start laying in the chicken, skin-side down. Sprinkle with salt. Fry-move the pieces around as necessary to ensure they're not sticking and that they are cooking evenly-until the skin is deeply golden, about 10 minutes. Turn the chicken thighs over (I like to do this with a pair of tongs), and fry until browned and cooked through (juices from a small cut at the thickest part will run clear), 8 to 10 minutes longer. Remove to a rimmed baking sheet and keep warm in a low oven.
• Cook the flavorings. Immediately add the onion and chorizo to the pan. Stir (I use a long-handled grilling spatula), breaking up lumps of chorizo, until the chorizo is cooked through and the onion is beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and stir for a couple of minutes longer. Stir in the tomatoes and poblanos, and cook, stirring nearly constantly, until the mixture is very thick and the oil has separated from it, 7 or 8 minutes.
• Start cooking the rice. If using wood, make sure you fire is still stoked to burn very hot. Add the rice to the flavorings, stir to combine, and keep stirring for 4 or 5 minutes, until a good portion of the rice has turned from translucent to milky white. Pour in the broth mixture and set a timer for 12 minutes. Stir once a minute, slowly and thoroughly scraping across the bottom of the pan and moving the rice from edges into the center. At 12 minutes, the rice should have absorbed enough liquid to look like risotto. Check a kernel of rice: it should be getting soft, but still have a tiny bit of chalkiness at the center. If the rice doesn't look or taste ready, let it cook another minute or two.
• Add the chicken and shellfish. Working quickly (I usually ask for help from a guest at this point), nestle the chicken thighs into the center of the rice, lay the shrimp in a ring around the chicken and arrange the mussels in the rice around the edge of the pan. Cover the pan with two pieces of heavy duty foil (it's typically 18 inches wide) or with a folded-up tablecloth. Turn the burner to its lowest setting or remove the burning logs from under the paella (but leave the embers). Let stand for 10 minutes to cook the shrimp and mussels and finish cooking the rice.
• Serving the paella. Uncover the paella and sprinkle with the peas, parsley, and, if you're using it, the tequila. Using a large serving spoon, gently fluff the mussels and shrimp into the rice mixture. (You can do the same thing with the chicken, but it's more difficult.) You can breathe a sigh of relief. You're ready to serve.