Spanish Paella
INGREDIENTS
- 6 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1/2 red capsicum, sliced into 1cm strips
- 4 large cloves garlic, chopped finely
- 750g large prawns,
shells removed & deveined - 250g squid, cleaned & sliced
or 200g calamari rings - 8-10 saffron threads
- 1.5 litres light fish stock
- Sprig thyme
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander seeds
- 2 red chili,
seeds removed & chopped finely - 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 4 Roma tomatoes, chopped finely
or 500ml passata - 2 teaspoons sea salt
- 350g paella rice
(short & round) - 300g mussels,
de-bearded & cleaned - 300g clams, washed and simmered
in salted water for 5 minutes
METHOD
Heat a paella pan to medium. Add 3 tablespoons of the oil and sauté the onion & capsicum until caramelised. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Push the vegetables to the side, add 2 tablespoons oil then add the prawns and squid and stir well.
Remove the vegetables from the pan, separating the capsicum and set aside. Cook the prawns 1 minute on each side, remove and continue cooking the calamari for a further 5 minutes, stirring all the while, then also remove and set aside with the prawns. Add the saffron to
the stock.
Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan and return the onions & garlic. Stir through the thyme, coriander, chili & paprika. Add the tomatoes and salt and stir until cook for 2 minutes. Add the rice to the pan and stir well. Turn off the gas and let it rest for
5 minutes, this will ensure the rice fully absorbs all the flavours.
Turn the gas on again to medium and stir in the stock, covering the rice completely. Do not stir beyond this point! Cook the rice for 5 minutes then add the mussels, pushing them gently into the rice. Turn the heat to minimum and cook a further 10 minutes. Arrange the capsicum, prawns, calamari & clams decoratively on the top of the paella, cook for further 5 minutes then turn off the gas. Cover the paella with a clean tea-towel and allow to rest for 5-6 minutes.
Sliced Chorizo sausage and diced chicken thighs may be added or substituted.
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