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Seafood paella

Valencia's rice party: saffron stock, prawns and mussels, and the crackly socarrat crust on the bottom.

65 min 45 min hands-on Serves 6 Mediterranean

Seafood paella is Spain's celebrated rice dish, cooked in a wide shallow pan so the grains absorb a saffron-scented stock. The prize is the socarrat, the lightly caramelised crust on the bottom. It is a generous, showy dish meant for sharing.

Ingredients

  • 1.2 L fish or chicken stock
  • 1 pinch saffron threads
  • 400 g mussels, or clams
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 1 red pepper, diced
  • 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 2 tomatoes, ripe, halved
  • 5 tbsp olive oil
  • 300 g prawns, raw, shell on
  • 200 g squid rings (optional)
  • salt, about 1 tsp, and to taste
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 400 g bomba or paella rice
  • 1 lemon, cut into wedges
  • 1 small bunch parsley, chopped, to serve (optional)

Method

  1. Heat the stock in a saucepan until steaming, about 5 minutes, crumble in the saffron and keep it hot over a low heat. Scrub the mussels and pull off any beards; throw away any that are open and do not close when tapped. Chop the onion, pepper and garlic. Grate the cut side of the tomatoes on a coarse grater until only the skin is left.
  2. Heat the oil in a paella pan about 36cm across, or your widest frying pan, over a medium-high heat until it shimmers. Fry the prawns for 1 minute a side, until they turn pink, then lift onto a plate; they go back in to finish. Fry the squid, if using, until it just turns opaque, about 1 minute, and lift out too.
  3. Turn the heat to medium, add the onion and pepper with a pinch of salt and cook until soft, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in the garlic and paprika for 30 seconds, then the grated tomato, and cook until it darkens and thickens to a jammy paste, about 5 minutes.
  4. Scatter in the rice and stir for 1 minute to coat it in the paste. Pour in all the hot stock, add a teaspoon of salt (less if the stock is salty), stir once and shake the pan to spread the rice evenly. From here on, leave it unstirred; that is what lets the crust form.
  5. Simmer briskly for 10 minutes, turning the pan over the flame now and then if your burner is smaller than the pan, so it cooks evenly. The rice will still be firm and the stock bubbling up through it.
  6. Turn the heat to medium-low and push the mussels, hinge down, and the squid into the rice. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until the shells open and the rice is almost tender, tucking the prawns in for the last 3 minutes. Discard any mussels that stay shut.
  7. Turn the heat to high for 1 to 2 minutes, until the rice starts to crackle and smells toasty: that is the socarrat, the crisp golden crust on the base. Listen rather than stir; lift the edge with a spoon to check it is golden, not black.
  8. Take the pan off the heat, cover with a clean tea towel and rest for 5 minutes, so the rice settles. Bring it to the table in the pan with lemon wedges and parsley, and a crisp green salad, and scrape up some of the crisp base with every serving.

Tips

  • Do not stir the rice once the stock is in, as stirring stops the prized crispy socarrat from forming.
  • Use a wide, shallow pan so the rice cooks in a thin layer and absorbs the stock evenly.
  • Add the seafood near the end so it cooks just through and stays tender.

Common questions

What rice is used for paella?

A short-grain Spanish rice such as Bomba or Calasparra is best, as it absorbs lots of liquid while staying separate.

What is socarrat?

It is the toasted, slightly crisp layer of rice on the bottom of the pan, considered the best part of a good paella.