PAELLA CON PESCADO & MARISCOS

October 2nd, 2009

This is a classic seafood paella originating from Valencia, Spain. We start by making our soffrito or flavor base and then slowly add the other components, based on cooking time, to create an amazing almost dry rice stew that is one of the most festive dishes you will ever see. The bomba rice from Spain is critical as its short, fat grains are able to absorb an extraordinary amount of liquid while remaining firm to the bite.

INGREDIENTS (serves 8-12)

-1 paellera (18 to 20 inches in diameter) or similar size cast iron pan (see Latienda.com for sources)

-Good extra virgin olive oil (ideally from Spain)

-4 tablespoons of pimenton dulce (sweet Spanish paprika)

-1 large white onion, finely chopped

-4 quarts of fish stock (see below for preparation details)

-1 pound squid, cleaned and chopped into 1 inch rings (you can have your fishmonger clean them for you to save time)

-1 pound small clams

-1 pound head-on medium prawns

-1 tablespoon saffron threads

-1 pound Romano or green beans (optional) cut into 2 inch pieces

-2 lemons, thinly sliced for garnish

-2 cups pureed tomatoes from Spain (available in jars at specialty stores) or just buy a can of whole San Marzano tomatoes from Italy and crush in a bowl by hand)

-3.5 cups of “bomba” Spanish rice from Valencia

Heat your paella pan over high heat until almost smoking (assemble across 2 burners if necessary, if you have a French flat top use that, heating the flat top 30 minutes prior). Add in 4 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the onions with a generous pinch of salt and sautee. If the onions start to burn turn down the heat and drizzle in more olive oil. Once soft and translucent (1-2 minutes) add tomato puree followed by the pimenton and saffron. Salt the tomato puree. Stir to combine and continue cooking for 3-4 minutes. Turn the heat back up to high.

Add the squid the stir through. Cook for 5-6 minutes until the squid begins to become more firm. Add enough fish stock to almost come up to the edge of the paella pan. Bring to an aggressive boil. Pour in all of the rice and stir once to evenly incorporate. Cook–without stirring–until half of the broth has been absorbed.

Add the whole, unpeeled, shrimps to the pan. Using tongs push them under the broth as much as possible so that they are mostly covered. Continue cooking (after adding the broth total cooking time is between 20 and 30 minutes) until more liquid has been absorbed (4-8 minutes). Add the optional green beans. Add the clams to the pan. As they begin to open submerge them into the broth to keep them moist.

Continue cooking until almost all the liquid is absorbed and the rice begins to look a bit “sticky.” Turn off the heat and allow to rest for a few minutes.  Be sure to taste occasionally and add salt if needed. Garnish with thinly sliced lemon pieces. Serve the entire pan at the table family style. If you’ve cooked this dish well you will discover nice browned bits on the bottom of the pan. This is called the “socorrat” and is absolutely delicious and full of flavor.

Buen provecho!

FOR THE FISH STOCK

INGREDIENTS

-1 whole red snapper or similar non-oily fish, scaled and gutted

-5 or 6 raw heads taken from the prawns used in the paella

-2 carrots chopped in half

-1 stalk of celery chopped in half

-1 yellow onion, peeled and chopped in half

-1 bay leaf

-Water

Put all of the ingredients into a large pot and fill with water. Bring to barely a boil and turn down the heat to a gentle simmer. Cook for at least 1 hour or up to 3 until the liquid has reduced by about 30%. Skim off any fat that rises to the surface and discard. Pass through a fine mesh sieve and pour into a clean pot. Your stock is ready for use.

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