If you think Paella is just seafood fried rice cooked in a large pan then think again. Paella is a rice dish of Spanish origins that is slowly cooked with seafood broth to enhance the flavour. It takes a lot of patience and finesse to cook a good Paella.
Ingredients:
(Herb mix)
- 1 cup of chopped parsley
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ¼ cup of fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
(Paella)
- 8 jumbo shrimps, unpeeled
- 8 mussels, debearded
- 3 cups of uncooked Arborio rice
- 4 chicken thighs, cut in halves
- 6 oz of Spanish Chorizo sausages
- 4 oz of Prosciutto
- 1 cup diced red capsicum
- 1 cup of green peas
- 2 cups of chopped onions
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 can of diced tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon of sweet paprika powder
- 1 teaspoon of saffron thread
- ¼ cup of fresh lemon juice
- 3 cups of chicken broth
- 1 cup of water
Cooking Method:
- Mix the ingredients for the herb mix in a bowl and set aside.
- Heat about a tablespoon of olive oil in a large Paella skillet over medium heat. Sauté the chicken for about 2 minutes and set aside. Then, sauté the sausage and prosciutto for about 2 minutes and set aside. Still using the same skillet, sauté the shrimps for about 2 minutes and set aside.
- Reduce heat to medium and add onion and bell pepper. Sauté it for about 15 minutes with continuous stirring then add in the tomatoes, paprika powder and garlic. Let it cook for 5 minutes.
- Slowly add about 1 scoop of rice at a time and stir constantly. Stir the rice for about 1 to 2 minutes before adding in the chicken broth, the herb blend prepared earlier, the sausages and prosciutto, the chicken and the green peas. Turn the heat to low and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Add the mussels to the Paella and mix it well with the rice. Let it cook for 5 minutes until the shells open.
- Add the shrimp in the skillet and cook for another 5 minutes until the shrimp is done. Sprinkle ¼ cup of lemon juice and remove the skillet from heat.
- Cover the Paella with a wet towel and let it rest for about 10 minutes.
- To serve, scoop the rice in individual plates with enough shrimp and mussels. Serve it with a lemon wedge on the side.