Traditional Paella Recipes

EASY PAELLA

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, mix together 2 tablespoons olive oil, paprika, oregano, and salt and pepper. Stir in chicken pieces to coat. Cover, and refrigerate.
• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet or paella pan over medium heat. Stir in garlic, red pepper flakes, and rice. Cook, stirring, to coat rice with oil, about 3 minutes. Stir in saffron threads, bay leaf, parsley, chicken stock, and lemon zest. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to medium low. Simmer 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a separate skillet over medium heat. Stir in marinated chicken and onion; cook 5 minutes. Stir in bell pepper and sausage; cook 5 minutes. Stir in shrimp; cook, turning the shrimp, until both sides are pink.
• Spread rice mixture onto a serving tray. Top with meat and seafood mixture.

THE ULTIMATE PAELLA

Steps:

• Combine the paprika and oregano in a small bowl. Rub the spice mix all over the chicken and marinate chicken for 1 hour in the refrigerator.
• Heat oil in a paella pan over medium-high heat. Saute the chorizo until browned, remove and reserve. Add chicken skin-side down and brown on all sides, turning with tongs. Add salt and freshly ground pepper. Remove from pan and reserve.
• In the same pan, make a sofrito by sauteing the onions, garlic, and parsley. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes on a medium heat. Then, add tomatoes and cook until the mixture caramelizes a bit and the flavors meld. Fold in the rice and stir-fry to coat the grains. Pour in water and simmer for 10 minutes, gently moving the pan around so the rice cooks evenly and absorbs the liquid. Add chicken, chorizo, and saffron. Add the clams and shrimp, tucking them into the rice. The shrimp will take about 8 minutes to cook. Give the paella a good shake and let it simmer, without stirring, until the rice is al dente, for about 15 minutes. During the last 5 minutes of cooking, when the rice is filling the pan, add the lobster tails. When the paella is cooked and the rice looks fluffy and moist, turn the heat up for 40 seconds until you can smell the rice toast at the bottom, then it's perfect.
• Remove from heat and rest for 5 minutes. Garnish with peas, parsley and lemon wedges.

AUTHENTIC SPANISH PAELLA

Steps:

• It's best to have all of your ingredients prepared before you start cooking.
• Prepare the rabbit by separating the legs, cutting remaining meat into small slices and lightly salting. (In my area rabbit is seasonal. During the summer and fall I substitute with chicken legs).
• I peel my shrimp, leaving only the tail and then salt them. In Spain they tend to leave the shrimp unshelled.
• I always try to make my chicken stock from scratch (time permitting), adding a bit of rosemary, a tiny pinch of saffron and a bit of thyme. If you're going to use bouillon, I'd recommend at least heating it up with these herbs and then straining before you start.
• Keep your stock hot but not boiling as you cook.
• Coat the bottom of your pallera/pan with olive oil.
• Brown your chorizo over high heat for 1-2 minutes. Do not fully cook, just get the outside well browned. Set aside. This should add a nice red color and a hell of a flavor to your oil.
• Brown the Rabbit for 2-3 minutes. It should not be fully cooked. Set aside.
• Brown garlic, onion and bell pepper until they're softened, adding plum tomatoes shortly before the mixture is finished.
• Push the vegetables to one side of the pan and on the other add the half can of tomato paste. Caramelize it, flipping it and spreading it until it begins to loosen (1-2 min over hight heat).
• Mix all of the vegetables and meats together with the caramelized tomato paste also adding the paprika, parsley and thyme.
• Add rice, mixing together and stirring as the rice browns (1-1 1/2) minutes. As the rice browns mix in the saffron. Make sure to break it between your fingers and stir it in to release all those tasty oils.
• When the rice is slightly translucent add enough chicken stock to cover the whole mixture. If it's been kept warm, it will begin to boil almost immediately. Lower to a medium heat but keep it at a steady boil.
• This is where paella is made and broken. I stir a few times in the first 5-10 minutes, adding broth as necessary to keep the rice fully covered. After this you must let the paella SIT! Let it cook another 10-20 minutes (I find that this step takes longer on a stovetop), adding broth bit by bit to keep the rice submerged until the rice on the top is al dente. Don't worry about rice burning to the bottom, this part (which actually has a name which escapes me at the moment, it's something like socarrat) is a tasty delicacy.
• Once you've stirred the paella for the last time and are letting cook, when you have about 8 minutes left to cook lay shrimp on top, turning over after 2-4 minutes to cook other side.
• When the rice on top is still quite al dente, take paella off of heat and cover. You must let it sit for 15-20 minutes. I've taken the lid off prematurely and ended up with a crunchy mess. Patience is the key.
• Once you're sure it's ready uncover, garnish with lemon wedges and enjoy!

AUTHENTIC SPANISH SEAFOOD PAELLA

Steps:

• Rouchly chop 3 cloves of garlic, finely dice 1/2 onion, finely chop 1/2 red bell pepper and cut 1 cleaned tube of squid into small squares
• Heat a paella pan with a medium-high heat and add in 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, after 1 minute season the olive oil with sea salt and add in the cut squid, mix with the olive oil and cook for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, then remove from the pan and set aside, then add in the diced onion & chopped garlic into the pan, mix with the olive oil, after 1 minute add in the chopped bell pepper and continue to mix so everything evenly sautees
• After 3 minutes, add in 1/2 cup tomato sauce and season everything with 1/2 tsp sweet smoked paprika, sea salt & black pepper, mix together, after 2 minutes and the tomato sauce has thickened, add the squid back into the pan, mix together and then add in 2 1/2 cups fish broth
• Once the broth comes to a boil add in 1 cup round rice, give it one final mix so everything is evenly distributed, after 5 to 6 minutes add in the shrimp and the cleaned mussels, after another 5 minutes, lower the fire to a low-medium heat and simmer until all the broth has been absorbed by the rice, then hit back to a medium-high heat to achieve the socarrat, just go between 1 to 2 minutes, then remove the pan from the heat and cover
• After 5 minutes uncover the pan, and garnish the paella with lemon wedges and finely chopped parsley, enjoy!

PAELLA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 190ºC/375ºF/gas 5.
• Quarter each piece of chicken, then season with sea salt and black pepper and dust with flour.
• Heat a splash of oil in a large, deep pan on a medium heat and fry the chicken until golden brown all over, then transfer to a baking tray and place in the oven for 20 minutes, or until cooked through.
• Meanwhile, slice the chorizo, peel and finely chop the onion and garlic, and pick and finely chop the parsley leaves, finely chopping the stalks.
• Put the pan back on the heat, add the sliced chorizo and pancetta or bacon and fry until browned and crispy. Add the onion, garlic and parsley stalks, then cook until soft.
• Meanwhile, gently heat the chicken stock and infuse half with the saffron.
• Add the smoked paprika, the rice and infused stock to the pan and leave to cook on a medium heat for around 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Meanwhile, halve the squid and lightly score all over with a regular eating knife (if using).
• When the time's up, add the remaining stock, peas, prawns, and the mussels and squid (if using). Place a lid on the pan and cook for 10 further minutes.
• Finally, add the cooked chicken, sprinkle over the chopped parsley and serve with wedges of lemon for squeezing over.

EASY PAELLA

Steps:

• In a heavy 12-inch saute pan, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Cook shrimp until just pink on both sides, 4 to 5 minutes (do not overcook). Transfer to a plate.
• Add remaining tablespoon oil and sausage to pan; cook over medium-high heat until beginning to brown, about 2 minutes. Add onion, and cook, stirring frequently, until translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Add garlic and rice; cook, stirring to coat, until rice is translucent, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Stir in paprika, turmeric, tomatoes, and broth, scraping up browned bits from bottom of pan with a wooden spoon. Season with salt and pepper.
• Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cover, and cook until rice is tender and has absorbed almost all liquid, 20 to 25 minutes. Stir in peas; cook 1 minute. Stir in cooked shrimp; serve immediately.

SUPER EASY PAELLA

Steps:

• Chop the chicken into 1 inch chunks.
• Salt, pepper and garlic powder the meat.
• Brown in oil that has been heated in a large pot such as a Dutch Oven.
• Remove chicken and add peppers, onion, garlic, and cook until soft (about 10 minutes).
• Remove and put with chicken.
• In the same pot, combine, the tomatoes (you may need to cut them depending on the brand) and the liquid with the broth and water.
• Bring to a boil.
• Add turmeric and paprika and stir in the rice.
• Add the chicken and vegetables.
• Cover tightly and reduce heat to simmer (low or med low).
• Cook for 30-35 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed.
• Add shrimp and scallops be sure to PUSH THEM TO THE BOTTOM UNDER THE RICE.
• Cook for 5-10 minutes uncovered or until the shrimp are pink.
• You may add a can of peas which I don't but it is the traditional way.

EASY PAELLA

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan or wok. Add the onion and soften for 5 mins.
• Add the smoked paprika, thyme and paella rice, stir for 1 min, then splash in the sherry, if using. Once evaporated, stir in the chopped tomatoes and chicken stock.
• Season and cook, uncovered, for about 15 mins, stirring now and again until the rice is almost tender and still surrounded with some liquid.
• Stir in the seafood mix and cover with a lid. Simmer for 5 mins, or until the seafood is cooked through and the rice is tender. Squeeze over the lemon juice, scatter over the parsley and serve with the lemon wedges.

AUTHENTIC PAELLA

Steps:

• Rinse the rice with cold water; drain; set aside. Bring the chicken stock to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat, reduce the heat to low, cover, and keep warm. Work the garlic, parsley, curry powder, saffron threads, salt, black pepper, and 1/2 cup of the hot chicken stock together with a mortar and pestle until a smooth liquid forms; set the seasoning liquid aside.
• Heat the olive oil in a paella pan over medium-high heat; cook and stir the onion until lightly browned. Stir in the chicken, shrimp, lobster, and clams; cook and stir until the chicken is no longer pink in the center, about 10 minutes. Pour in the seasoning liquid.
• Stir in the rice, pour in the hot chicken stock, and simmer until the rice is nearly tender, about 15 minutes. Add mushrooms, peas, and mussels; stir two times, and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat; cover and let stand until rice is soft and flaky, about 7 minutes.

TRADITIONAL SPANISH SEAFOOD PAELLA RECIPE

Steps:

• In a large saucepan over high heat, bring the white wine and seafood stock to a simmer. Add a pinch of saffron threads and keep warm.
• Meanwhile, put a large (16-inch) paella pan (see notes) over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. When hot, add the onion to the pan and saute until translucent, stirring often.
• Add the garlic and cook until aromatic (about 1-2 minutes). Before it starts to brown, add the tomato and stir, adding in the paprika and a pinch of salt. Continue to stir and saute until the tomatoes are reduced and the oil is sizzling.
• Gently add the squid to the pan and stir to coat in the tomato mixture. Saute for about a minute, to give some color to the squid.
• Next, add the rice and stir to combine. After a minute of sauteing, spread the rice evenly across the pan (don't worry if it looks like a thin layer, it will puff up).
• Gently add the simmering white wine and stock to the pan, all in one go. Reduce the heat to low, and cook, without stirring, for 10 minutes. Carefully lay the prawns/shrimp in a circle on top of the rice and cook for a further 10 minutes, turning the shrimp over as they start to turn pink. If the rice starts to dry out before the shrimp is cooked, you can top it up with a bit more hot stock, half a cup at a time.
• Meanwhile, steam the mussels by putting them in a large skillet with a tight-fitting lid in half an inch of water. When the shells open, they are cooked! (Discard any that do not open).
• When the stock in the paella pan fully evaporates, you will hear a faint cracking from the bottom of the pan as the socarrat starts to form. If you don't hear anything, you can raise the heat to medium for a short burst!
• When the rice is ready, remove the pan from the heat and arrange the mussels on top of the rice. Serve from the pan, with wedges of fresh lemon.

CHICKEN PAELLA WITH SHERRY VINEGAR

Steps:

• Pre-heat your oven to 150°C/300°F/Gas Mark 5.
• In a medium size paella pan (34cm diameter) or a large shallow casserole dish, heat one tablespoon of the oil. Once hot, add the chicken pieces and fry for about 3 minutes on each side until golden brown. Remove from the pan and set aside. Allow the paella pan to cool down for a couple of minutes.
• While the pan is cooling down, in a small frying pan, gently toast on some tin foil the saffron threads for about 30 seconds, be careful not to burn them. This will release the essential oils within the saffron threads. Pour the saffron threads into a pestle and mortar and pound them until you obtain a fine powder. Pour 2 tablespoons of the hot chicken stock and mix well. The saffron powder will blend better into the hot liquid, so when you pour it into the paella rice, the saffron liquid will spread evenly.
• Add the remaining olive oil to the paella pan and gently fry the chopped garlic and spring onions until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the paella rice and stir for a few minutes on a gentle heat until the rice is slightly translucent. Return the fried pieces of chicken and mix well. Add the sherry vinegar, stir and allow the vinegar to reduce and completely evaporate. Add the smoked paprika and stir the rice for 30 seconds, followed by the tomato sofrito. Once the tomato sauce has cooked into the rice, pour in the hot chicken stock, followed by the saffron infused stock. Season with salt and spread the rice out evenly to cover the bottom of the paella pan. Bring to the boil. If you have a timer, set it to 17 minutes. The first 5 minutes, cook the paella on a very high heat until the rice rises to the surface. Check the stock for seasoning and add some more salt if necessary. Add the blanched broad beans, stir the rice and place the pan in the oven. After 12 minutes, remove the pan from the oven.
• Allow the paella to rest for 5 minutes before serving.

TRADITIONAL SPANISH PAELLA RECIPE

Steps:

• Clean and peel the prawns. Use the shells and head to make broth. Reserve it. Also, clean the squid and chop them in a round shape.
• After that clean the seashells with plenty of water to clean them from any sand residue.
• In a paella pan, or very large and deep frying pan, sauté the onion, garlic, pepper, and tomato minced in small squares in olive oil. Add a little pepper and salt.
• Put the squid and then the seashells. Let them cook for a few minutes. You will see that a broth starts to form, this is fine.
• Add the 2 cups of rice and stir to mix everything. Then add 4 cups of the shrimp broth that you made earlier. If you don't have enough, complete with water.
• Stir well. Add a teaspoon of yellow saffron powder and boil for about 3 minutes.
• Then add the fresh peas, the prawns, and the parsley, (previously chopped). Check the salt and pepper and add more if necessary.
• Cook until the liquid is almost completely gone. At this time you can put some prawns with their shells. Lower the heat and cover.
• After that, cook for 15 minutes and taste the rice grain. If it's ready, remove it from the heat and serve your seafood paella warm.

SPANISH PAELLA

Steps:

• *Please note, this is my version of Paella Mixta I learned to make while living in Madrid, Spain. I've simplified the recipe as best I could for anyone to be able to make without a special pan or equipment. There are MANY variations to Paella so please be respectful that my authentic recipe may be different from yours!
• Add olive oil to a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, bell peppers and garlic and cook until onion is translucent. Add chopped tomato, bay leaf, paprika, saffron salt and pepper. Stir and cook for 5 minutes. Add white wine and cook for 10 minutes. Taste and add salt if needed.
• Add chicken pieces, 2 tablespoons chopped parsley and rice to the pot. Cook for 1 minute.
• Pour the broth slowly all around the pan and jiggle the pan to get the rice into an even layer. (Do not stir the mixture going forward!).
• Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low. Give the pan a gentle shake back and forth just once or twice during cooking. (We don't ever stir the rice, so that a crispy crust forms at the bottom, called a socarrat).
• Cook for about 15-18 minutes (uncovered), then nestle the shrimp, mussels and calamari into the mixture, sprinkle peas on top and continue to cook (without stirring) for about 5 more minutes. Watch for most of the liquid to be absorbed and the rice at the top nearly tender. (If for some reason your rice is still not cooked, add ¼ cup more water or broth and continue cooking).
• Remove pan from heat and cover pan with a lid or tinfoil. Place a kitchen towel over the lid and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
• Garnish with fresh parsley and lemon slices. Serve.