Authentic Seafood Paella

🥘 Authentic Seafood Paella (Paella de Mariscos)

Ingredients (serves 6):

2 tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 red bell pepper, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 medium tomatoes, grated (or 1 cup canned crushed tomatoes)

2 cups bomba rice (or arborio if unavailable)

4 cups seafood stock (homemade or good-quality store-bought)

1 pinch saffron threads (soaked in 2 tbsp warm water)

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp salt (adjust to taste)

½ tsp black pepper

Seafood:

½ lb squid or calamari rings

½ lb large shrimp (peeled, tails left on if desired)

½ lb mussels (scrubbed and debearded

½ lb clams (scrubbed)

½ lb firm white fish (monkfish, cod, or halibut), cut into chunks

For garnish:

Lemon wedges

Fresh parsley, chopped

Instructions:

1. Prepare the base (sofrito):

Heat olive oil in a large paella pan (or wide, shallow skillet) over medium heat.

Sauté onion and bell pepper until softened (5 minutes).

Add garlic and cook 1 minute.

Stir in grated tomato and cook until it thickens into a paste (about 8–10 minutes).

2. Build the flavor:

Add rice and stir to coat with the sofrito

Add smoked paprika, saffron with its soaking water, salt, and pepper.

Pour in the hot seafood stock. Gently stir to distribute rice evenly.

3. Cook the paella:

Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat to medium-low.

Simmer uncovered for 15 minutes (do not stir after this point — stirring makes it creamy, but paella should stay separate and form the socarrat, the crispy rice layer at the bottom).

4. Add seafood:

Arrange shrimp, squid, mussels, clams, and fish on top of the rice.

Continue cooking for 10 minutes, until seafood is cooked through and shells have opened.

If liquid evaporates too quickly, drizzle in a little extra hot stock or water around the edges.

5. Rest & Serve:

Remove from heat, cover loosely with foil, and let rest 5 minutes.

Garnish with parsley and lemon wedges.

✅ Tips for Authentic Flavor:

Use bomba rice if possible — it absorbs broth beautifully without becoming mushy.

The socarrat (crispy rice at the bottom) is highly prized in Spain. To achieve it, increase heat slightly for the last 2 minutes of cooking without stirring, but don’t let it burn.

Always cook paella in a wide, shallow pan, never a deep pot.