Terrific festive party food!
No overcooked seafood, and no mushy rice around here!
The beauty of paella is that it is in fact extremely flexible.
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Dont get too hung up about getting the exact seafood I use.
So just chill out!!
- Miguel Maestro is Australias most well known Spanish Chef.
(And you will, I promise if you follow my steps!)
Paella rice packets tend to be very helpful providing clues such as pictures of Paella or perfect for paella!
Best substitute for paella riceis risotto rice (arborio rice) which has similar characteristics ie.
ability to absorb lots of liquid, except risotto goes creamy if you stir it.
The next best is medium grain rice the same rice I use forrice pudding.
And in anticipation of someone asking NOto quinoa!!!
(A million Spaniards almost fainted at the thought).
The Base Ingredients
Paella rice as discussed above.
Buy anything labelled as Bomba, Valencia, de Valencia or Calasparra or simply paella rice!
Saffron a signature part of paella is the warm yellow tinge of the rice and delicate saffron flavour.
Saffron is expensive, even more expensive than gold by weight!
A very classic, popular combination.
25 million Aussies would throw uptheirhands in protest if I left it out!
Forgot to include calamari in the above photo!
if you dont find rings, buy a squid tube then slice it as pictured below.
Part 1 sear, make flavour base, add rice and stock
This part is pretty straightforward.
Note how we return some of the cooked chorizo back in to cook with the rice.
It adds great flavour into the dish as well as salt.
Theres more liquid to come!
We add the prawns and mussels partway through cooking the rice because they cook faster.
So the idea here is that the prawns, mussels and rice all finish cooking at the same time.
If the seafood was added with the rice, they would overcook.
Nobody wants rubbery prawns in their paella!
Part 3 garnish and rest!
And just prior to serving, add some wedges of lemon and a sprinkle of parsley for colour!
This is slightly on the generous side but leftovers keep well, and nobody wants to be short!
PAELLA COOKING TIPS
Answering your burning questions about making Paella.
The other common rice is calledCalasparra Rice(a region in Spain where it is grown).
See above in post for more information.
But you dont need a paella pan to make paella!
Just use a large skillet.
Cook in broth, not water Fact is, the better the broth, the better the paella.
The best is a homemade seafood broth.
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The 3rd best is store bought chicken broth.
Store bought fish stock doesnt make the cut in my world sorry.
(Unless of course, you get a gourmet homemade one.)
!Unlike risotto, paella should not be creamy.
Add seafood partway through cooking Paella takes 20 to 25 minutes to cook.
So squidge the seafood in partway through cooking to avoid overcooking it.
Even partially submerged, it is enough heat to cook.
Anything in between is horrid and rubbery.
For paella, we take the super fast route cook it first, remove, add back later.
So here are some suggestions to make a full Spanish Feast:
This paella for the main
SpanishCHURROSfor dessert!
So, SO happy!
Canned crushed tomato is the best substitute which is what Ive used.
Life of Dozer
Discovered a new way to exercise Dozer using a drone!
No such luck Dozer, no dogs allowed on this beach!
No swim for you this morning.
And no paella either!
