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Seafood Paella
Brian Gordon
Divisional Chief Financial Officer
Description
First, my disclaimer: this is not a traditional paella even though that’s what we call it. I think it probably fits the bill of “arroces con cosas”, or “rice with things”.
That said, what I think makes this recipe special for the Gordon clan is that it means there’s going to be a gathering. It’s special, like so many recipes that others have in their families, in that it means we’re seeing some of our favorite people.
This is a double recipe; did I mention I want to have enough for everyone!
I use a Lodge 17″ double handle skillet instead of a traditional paella pan. I like that it really holds the heat well and certainly it has a lot of utility in the kitchen beyond just paella.
Like any paella recipe, you can kind of make it your own; this has some traditional elements but it’s really our own take and is always evolving.
Ingredients
35oz bag of Paella rice (found at Sur la table!). Before cooking, soak in water for 15-20 minutes and then drain
40oz of stock (I usually use fish stock, but sometimes mix in approx. 8 oz of chicken broth as well)
8oz of water
Large pinch of saffron (soak in warm water first)
2 tsp of paprika (Spanish or Smoked, depending on your taste)
2 tsp cayenne
Red pepper flakes to taste
Salt/pepper to taste
1-2 cans of petite diced red tomatoes. 4 diced roma tomatoes would work here as well, but I like the fire roasted for the flavor and ease
8 garlic cloves, chopped
1-2 large yellow onions, chopped
1 lb of prawns, peeled and deveined
½ lb of mussels, cleaned and debearded
8oz of chorizo (I don't always use this, but it adds flavor and a little different texture with the rice...did I mention this is not traditional?)
½ cup frozen peas
Chopped parsley to garnish
The juice of 1 lemon
Optional Ingredients:
I'm putting "optional" because you can kind of mix and match the seafood elements. I would at least do the fish and/or the scallops though.
1/2 lb Scallops
8-10oz of halibut or another white fish cut into 1.5-2 inch chunks. Halibut, while certainly not the cheapest option, is nice given it's not too oily
Dungeness crab if you had some would be good as well
Procedure
1. Over medium high heat, bring the pan up to temp. If you're using the chorizo, I usually will cook this first and set it aside once it's done.
2. Next, add 4-5 tbsp of olive oil and cook the onions for about 2 minutes.
3. Add the rice and cook for another 3 minutes, stirring regularly.
4. Add the garlic and cook briefly (30 seconds) and then add the stock. Add saffron and its water. Add seasonings: paprika, cayenne, red pepper flakes and salt and pepper. Add the tomatoes and bring to a boil.
5. Cover the pan with foil and then put it into a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. Taste the rice and make sure it doesn't seem undercooked. Put it back in the oven a little longer, if need be, otherwise bring the pan back out to the stovetop and turn the heat to high.
6. Mix back in the chorizo.
7. We like some of the rice to have a little blackening, so let the rice crisp on the bottom of the pan and then scrape and flip it so more rice can get texture this way. I do this until I'm satisfied that enough of the rice is crispy.
8. Layer in the different seafood pieces around the pan. For the mussels, make sure not to put them too firmly in the rice as they'll struggle to open without enough room. Cover again with the foil and put back into the oven until the seafood is cooked (10-15 minutes).
9. For last 3 minutes of cooking in the oven, add the frozen peas across the top of the dish.
10. Finish the dish with the juice of the lemon and some fresh chopped parsley.