The secret to cooking the perfect seafood paella is out!
Celebratory moments call for a delicious seafood paella! Paella is a popular one-pot meal that's fit for any party or occasion. This flavourful dish consists of colourful saffron-infused rice, clams, mussels and shrimp along with various spices. It's a crowd-pleasing dish and perfect for the seafood lovers.
What many people might not know is that the paella dish is actually named after the wide, shallow 'paella' pan in which the dish is cooked. However, cooking paella the traditional way may not be convenient if you don't own a paella pan. Luckily, it's easy enough to adapt this humble dish without compromising on its taste and texture. The secret: using a pan with a flat bottom like a cast iron skillet. We used the Lodge cast iron skillet as our substitute. This skillet is amongst our top-tier recommendations as the heat retention enables the dish to create a crusty layer of rice on the bottom. Serving the dish straight from the pan also adds a rustic centrepiece to the table.
Seafood Paella Recipe
Ingredients:- 4 cups vegetable stock
- ½ teaspoon saffron, ground
- 2 teaspoons salt, divided
- 2 teaspoons paprika, divided
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 tablespoons butter, divided
- 450g large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 white onion, diced
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 Roma tomatoes, diced
- 2 ½ cups Arborio rice
- ½ cup roasted red pepper, cut into strips
- 250g mussels, cleaned
- 250g clams, cleaned
- ½ cup white wine
- ½ cup frozen peas
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges
- 2 tablespoons parsley, chopped finely
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 204°C.
- In a medium saucepan, heat the vegetable stock, saffron, and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a simmer and remove from heat.
- Heat the skillet over medium-high, about 5 minutes. Season the shrimp with salt, pepper, and 1 teaspoon paprika. Add 1 tablespoon butter and olive oil. In two batches, sear shrimp on one side for 1-2 minutes. Remove to a plate, cover, and set aside.
- Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, onion, and garlic. Sauté until softened, about 3-5 minutes, and season with the remaining teaspoon of paprika, salt, and pepper.
- Add rice and toast for 3-5 minutes.
- Add chopped tomatoes and broth mixture. Stir and bring to a boil.
- Transfer to the preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and top with shrimp, mussels, and clams. Add wine and cover with aluminium foil.
- Bake for another 5-7 minutes. Remove from the oven and discard any shells that don’t open.
- Top with peas. Garnish with lemon wedges and parsley.
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